The Turning Leaf
by Naruto-fan-Okami-chan
Summary: When you're given one last chance to save the one you care so much about, it's understandable to rise to the task, no matter the cost. So when you're successful, do you expect them to return the favor? Or will the past hold them back? -SasuSaku-
1. The Deal

**The Turning Leaf**

**Chapter One- The Deal**

Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak.

Tmp. Tmp. Tmp. Tmp.

Two people stopped abruptly.

"…Naruto?"

"Sakura?"

"What're you doing here?"

"Granny Tsunade wanted to see me."

"Weird, Lady Tsunade called me too."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Well," Sakura sighed, "I guess we better get to Lady Tsunade's then."

Naruto nodded, and the two sauntered on their way towards the Hokage's officer.

"You have any idea what she wants?" Naruto inquired as they made their way down the halls.

Sakura shook her head. "She just sent Shizune out and said I needed to come to her office as soon as possible."

"Huh, that's exactly what Kakashi-Sensei told me."

"Then…maybe we're being sent on a mission."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. Maybe."

Sakura stared down the hall as they neared Tsunade's office. When they got there, Sakura knocked on the door.

"Enter," Tsunade's voice called.

Sakura took one last glimpse at Naruto, and then she turned the knob and pushed the door open. When they entered, Tsunade looked up from her desk with a light smile.

"Ah, good, you're both here."

'"'"'"'"

Naruto slammed his fist against the wall behind him with a resounding thud. "What are you trying to say, Grandma?"

"Naruto, calm yourself." Tsunade snapped irritably. "I mean exactly what I said."

"But you can't do this!" Naruto roared. "What gives you the right to—?"

Tsunade's hands slammed on the table and she stood up momentarily in her anger. "Naruto, I and every other Kage out there have every right to do this! Now be quiet!"

Naruto growled and then looked over at Sakura for support. However, she simply stood there, staring at the floor with widened eyes.

"But…" Sakura muttered, too shocked to look up and meet the gaze of her mentor, "Sasuke…."

Tsunade's eyes softened as they landed on her student, understanding how she felt. She sat back down in her chair and folded her arms in front of her. "Sakura…it was the only thing I could do."

Naruto's breath hissed out through his teeth. "So that's all you can do, huh? All you can do is sit back idly drinking your tea while people are out there hunting down Sasuke to…to kill him?"

Tsunade shot Naruto a very stern gaze. "If you're going to continue acting like a child, then I will have you thrown out of my office, Naruto."

"Like hell if I care! I'm not going to let you send a bunch of ninja out to kill him! You have to give him another chance! He's a Leaf Ninja! He's our friend! He—"

"Naruto," Sakura suddenly interjected, turning her head to see the blond beside her, "please…just calm down."

Naruto's head whipped towards his pink-haired friend. The look she gave him was pleading, yet behind it she held back all the emotions that he knew bubbled inside her at that moment.

"But…Sakura…" Naruto replied, his whole body shifting to face his teammate, "they…they plan to—"

"Naruto…it hurts me too…." Sakura responded, fiddling nervously with the end of her skirt as her gaze dropped back down to the floor. "But there's nothing we can do. We've only met failure every time we tried to bring Sasuke back. He…. It was…probably the only thing…that Lady Tsunade…"

By now the tears had finally overcome Sakura, and she began to cry. Naruto took a step closer to her and put a comforting arm on her shoulder.

"Sakura."

Sakura sniffed and looked up as she recognized her master calling for her.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Sakura sniffled as she wiped away her tears, "I know I shouldn't be crying."

"No you shouldn't." Tsunade agreed.

Naruto gawked for a moment, unable to believe that Tsunade was acting so heartless to Sakura's feelings. He opened his mouth to retort, but Tsunade spoke first.

"After all…tears didn't bring Sasuke back the first time, and I don't think they'll bring him back on this last try."

Tsunade's statement surprised the two. Their eyes widened as they stared at the Hokage.

"On this…last try…." Naruto echoed, disbelieving.

Tsunade nodded. "The Kages decided to leave the hunting and fate of Sasuke Uchiha to me, claiming him to be my problem. I did note that they said 'fate' rather than 'death', which is why I've postponed the launch of the anbu to give you two one last shot to find him and bring him back to the Leaf Village."

When Tsunade finished her explanation, amazed grins began to etch their ways onto the faces of the two shinobi. Tsunade gave them both a contented smirk as Naruto began to pump his fists excitedly. Sakura merely gazed at her mentor, caught between awed surprise and gratefulness.

"Well, you two better hurry then." Tsunade declared. "I've only allowed you two a week. No more than that. It should be enough time if you're fast enough to do a decent sweep of the areas that Sasuke could be traveling through. If you're not back or on your way with Sasuke by the time the week is up, then I'll have no choice but to deploy the Anbu to take care of him."

Naruto grinned confidently and held up a fist in Tsunade's direction. "Don't you worry, we'll get him back! That's a promise! We'll be back in under a week with his sorry ass!"

Tsunade smiled as Naruto ushered Sakura out the door and the two took off down the halls to their houses to pack for their journey. Tsunade sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"_For their sakes…they better come back before a week is up…or more than just our Anbu will be after him…."_

'"'"'"'"

Sakura snapped together the last buckle on her bag and looked down at it. She was all packed and ready for their journey. She picked up her bag, threw it over her shoulder, and stopped. Ahead of her on a dresser was the picture of Squad Seven. The three of them were young Genin at that time, but now they were much older, wiser, and changed.

She took a few steps closer to the picture and picked it up. She stared down at Sasuke, whose Leaf Headband shone while he frowned at the camera and glared sideways at Naruto. A small smile played at Sakura's lips as she looked at herself in between the two boys. Sasuke had been so young, so deeply loyal to the village, and their best friend. At that time thoughts like Sasuke leaving them for darkness never really crossed their minds, but now here they were, about to go try to track him down one last time.

Sakura gulped as she placed the frame back where it belonged. Their new assignment flitted through her mind. This was it. It was their last chance. Their last shot to find Sasuke and bring him back. If they failed or if they couldn't find him…it was all over.

"_We have to find him." _Sakura thought as Naruto's confident face came to her mind. _"We have to…we're going to find him. We're going to bring him back to the village. We can't fail." _

With that thought, Sakura adjusted the strap of her backpack on her shoulder, and turned to leave. She had to go down to meet Naruto at the village gates, and then it would all begin.

'"'"'"'"

As Sakura grew closer to the village gates, she could just start to make out Naruto's bright form waiting by the wall. He looked up and grinned confidently as she neared him.

"So you're ready?" Naruto asked, pumping a fist in his excitement and anticipation.

Sakura nodded her head. "Yes…and this time," she smiled, trying to match Naruto's confidence, "we'll get him…together."

Naruto's grin widened at Sakura's statement, and he nodded his head eagerly. "Let's do this!"

The two turned to face the exit, and then they strode forward. They waved at the guards, who waved back as the two crossed the concrete threshold of the gates. Once their feet touched the gravel of the path outside the village, they turned their heads to look at each other sideways for a moment, hopeful smiles on their faces, and then they were gone.

'"'"'"'"

Naruto and Sakura leapt swiftly through the branches of a forest, both keeping idle attention to exactly where they stepped. Their eyes scanned around, looking for any signs of life that maybe, with a lot of luck, could be their old Uchiha teammate.

Sakura huffed. "One of my shadow clones just fell out of range…but they hadn't picked anything up."

Naruto nodded briefly. "One of mine just did the same thing."

The two then swiftly made the hand signs for shadow clones, conjured them up and then sent them out to replace the ones that had just disappeared.

Naruto let out a huge sigh. "We may have to rest soon…keeping up as many clones as I am over such a large distance while running is taking quite a bit out of me."

"Yeah…I know what you mean." Sakura responded. Her hand came up to wipe a bit of sweat from off of her brow. "If we hit a good clearing we'll break and get some food."

"Alright." Naruto agreed as they picked up their speed a little bit.

Half an hour later the two came into a clearing. They leapt down to the ground and almost immediately fell into sitting positions.

Sakura fished around her bag for a water bottle. "None of my clones spotted anything."

"None of mine either." Naruto puffed through a couple gulps of water. "We don't even know if Sasuke is anywhere near us."

Sakura sighed. "I know…but it's possible. Based off our knowledge it's safe to assume that Sasuke didn't go into any places like the Land of Lightning or nearby the Sand Village. If he did it's almost for certain they'd give him some hell he'd rather avoid if he's travelling."

"Yeah, and I doubt he'd go anywhere past there. He's still got that connection to that Madara guy, and they say he's targeting the Kage's, so he wouldn't want to go too far from the five nations."

"Yeah…" Sakura muttered. She then looked over to Naruto. "But anyway, let's get ourselves something to eat."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "I heard that!"

The two got to work setting up a meal. After it was prepared they ate swiftly in silence, wanting to move on quickly so they could keep searching the area. They left a while later after they felt they were rested enough, and continued on their way.

That was the schedule they followed for three days after that. They would stop only to eat or sleep, or in the other case where one's chakra became too low for them to move on and they would take a longer break.

On the fourth day everything was set up so routinely that it was easy to forget exactly what it was they had set out to do. Everything passed by in such a blur it was hard to believe that only four days had passed.

It wasn't until the mid-afternoon of that fourth day that anything happened.

Naruto and Sakura sat in another clearing, eating and resting. All four days they had seen nothing of any sort of interest, and no sign of Sasuke at all. The past four days had taken a large toll on their hopes of finding the Uchiha, but with the other around for moral support, they never gave up completely.

Sakura flattened out a map next to her cup of instant ramen. "So if I'm right about the track we've been taking, we must be about…here." Sakura gestured with her finger to a place on the map. "We're pretty close to the Land of Lightning."

Naruto let out a sigh. "Then I don't think there's much hope that we'll find Sasuke here. He knows they're after him. Only a suicidal idiot would get near them in Sasuke's position."

Sakura nodded her head. "I know…but it's still worth a shot. We've only got three days left."

"Yeah…three days." Naruto echoed, looking down at his own cup of instant ramen. "So we have three days to find him, beat the crap out of him, and drag him back to the Leaf Village."

"Basically," Sakura responded, "though I don't think it'll be that easy. Just because he'd be in the village doesn't mean he'd like it, and just because he's beaten to a pulp doesn't mean he will come back."

"You'd be surprised how much violence there is in convincing a guy to do something." Naruto grinned with a chuckle.

Sakura shook her head, a light smile on her face. "I think it takes more than a fist to the face to convince a guy of something."

"Don't knock it till you've tried it."

Sakura laughed. "If it did work, I think guys would be less perverted."

"Well, I didn't say it'd worked all the time."

Sakura laughed again. "And besides…I think we may need some words to convince Sasuke that being in the Leaf Village is better. He may be a hard-head sometimes, but he is logical."

"Hm, yeah, logical." Naruto huffed sarcastically, and then held up his hands like he was a scale. "Grow alone with hatred or grow together with friends. Stay out and be hunted and killed by Anbu, or come home and get to live a few more years. Sasuke is really stubborn, but I don't think he's a total idiot."

"Yeah." a moment passed as they both ate some of their ramen. "It's that stubbornness that concerns me though. He's always been the same way. Once he has his mind set on something, he'll stick to it."

"Then we'll have to give him that stubborn mindset that being with us is about a million times better than being out in the wild, considering that it is."

"Heh, I guess."

"You know it's true."

Sakura looked up at the sky. "Yeah…you're right."

Naruto gazed up at the sky for a moment as well, and then returned his attention to his ramen. Sakura's gaze stayed fixed on the sky. She could see a few clouds, and a flock of birds flew up in the air, migrating for the coming winter.

"_Sasuke's kind of like a bird…" _Sakura thought as the flock disappeared behind the trees. _"He migrates to another place when he thinks it's right. But…that doesn't mean he won't return. That's what we're trying to tell him. Just like a bird, he moves when it becomes too cold, but I guess we'll have to convince him that it's warm where he used to live again, and maybe that'll make him come back."_

Sakura sighed as she looked down at her ramen cup. It was empty. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a bag where she stuck her trash. She crushed the cup and dropped it inside. She then put the bag back and zipped her pack closed.

Naruto stood up a moment later, having also discarded his cup of finished ramen. "Then let's hurry! If we have three days left to beat his face in and convince him to come back, then we have to find Sasuke by tomorrow!"

"_The only problem is that if we want to make it back to the Leaf Village by the time our week is up, we'd actually need to find Sasuke and convince him to come home today…but I doubt that's going to happen." _Sakura thought sullenly, but she kept that fact to herself and stood, putting on a positive smile for Naruto. "Right, let's go."

Naruto and Sakura quickly made the hand signs for shadow clones, and within a few seconds they were surrounded by a big group of them.

"Let's move." Naruto and Sakura declared simultaneously, sending both of their packs of clones leaping off in separate directions in search of Sasuke.

Naruto and Sakura exchanged brief glances, both smiling, but knowing that behind their smiles was the exhaustion, worry, and even doubt that they felt about their chances of finding Sasuke. Nevertheless, they both leapt forward to hit the trees running.

However, the second they made contact with a tree limb, they both felt it. Clones were disappearing, being destroyed, and the last thing they saw before they were beaten was a flash of familiar black hair.

"Sasuke!" Both Sakura and Naruto exclaimed, and they whipped their heads in the same direction that their clones had been defeated. They took off like bullets towards where they now knew their old teammate was.

Sakura stared forward, her eyes landing on Naruto who ran a few steps ahead of her.

"_So I guess this is it…." _she thought. _"We're about to start the final battle…and this time…there's no room for error. We have got to take him back, and we're going to do whatever it takes to make sure we do." _

**And that's a wrap for chapter one! Dear lord, I have no idea why, but it took me forever to write this out! I started this like…two months ago at least! All my other stories just came ahead of this one, and I was just uninspired. Sigh…anyway…but I got this chapter done! And BIDoID isn't even fully published yet! So Yay! I am pulling well ahead! And it looks like my hopes for a long story are being answered! If I can make the "retrieve Sasuke" arc last at least two more chapters then I'll be well on my way towards creating my longest story yet! So till then! **


	2. A Punch of Persuassion

**Chapter Two- A Punch of Persuasion**

Sakura and Naruto sped off like bullets to where their clones had disappeared, knowing for sure that Sasuke was there. Thankfully for them, none of the clones had much of a chance to get very far, so they didn't have much of a distance to cover, and if they moved fast enough, Sasuke wouldn't have any time to run either.

"_It's almost ironic…how close we were to him without even knowing it." _Sakura thought as they leapt through the trees. They were almost to the place they had seen their clones be defeated.

The two burst out of the trees into a clearing. They hit the ground and immediately began to scan the area, that was the place their clones had disappeared, but it didn't seem Sasuke was there.

Naruto whipped around in frantic circles, searching for their missing friend. "Sasuke! Where are you? Get the hell out here _now_! We know you're around!" He roared.

Sakura too looked around the area with a frantic hint. They were so close! There was no way she would give up. He had to be around, she told herself.

"Sasuke…" Sakura muttered. "Please…where are you?"

Little did the two know, Sasuke, as well as his team Taka, had masked their chakras and had hidden themselves in the trees. The four of them stared down into the clearing at the two ninja.

"Who are they?" Karin mouthed to everyone.

Suigetsu and Juugo both shrugged their shoulders slightly, trying their best not to make too much movement so the two below wouldn't sense them. A single false move could give away their position.

Sasuke was the only one who continued to stare down at the two. Just a minute ago he had destroyed their clones, but he didn't expect them to get there so quickly. They could have been miles away by this time if Karin hadn't picked up their swiftly approaching chakras and they had been forced to hide themselves. Mentally Sasuke cursed, if the two had been so close by, then why hadn't they picked up their chakras? It was a stupid slip-up on their part, and now if a single one of them made a noise, they'd pay for it.

The three looked over to their leader, aware of how intently he stared at the two shinobi. They had heard the blond one yelling his name, so they could only assume that Sasuke knew something about them. They could also just make out the Leaf symbols on their headbands, the village they knew Sasuke had come from.

Suigetsu was the first to get Sasuke's attention, gesturing slightly to his sword with a hopeful grin on his face. Sasuke only glanced at the man for a moment before he shook his head and returned his attention to the two still unknown ninja. Suigetsu frowned, but took his hand off his sword, sad that he couldn't just go down there and take care of the two ninja.

Karin looked from Sasuke to the shinobi below them. She didn't fail to notice how fixedly Sasuke stared at the pink-haired kunoichi below them. Jealously raged inside of her as she observed Sasuke's altered expression. His look didn't seem so harsh when he looked at the girl. He never looked at _her _that way.

In her bout of rage, she snapped a twig that she had been gripping onto. Everyone's eyes widened in alarm as the two ninja below whipped their heads in Taka's direction.

"Sasuke!" The blond exclaimed again. "Get down here or so help me I'll drag you down here!"

Sasuke almost smirked hearing the blonds' threat. "Like I haven't heard a threat like that before." He muttered, but he didn't move from his spot.

Suigetsu made another motion towards the sword on his back and made eye contact with Sasuke with the same hopeful grin on his face. This time Sasuke didn't say anything, which they learned to be his form of an approval.

Suigetsu grinned jovially at the prospect of a fight. "C'mon Juugo!"

Juugo sighed for a moment as Suigetsu leapt from their hiding spot, but soon a look of bloodlust filled his eyes and he followed after his comrade.

Suigetsu and Juugo landed on the ground just a ways off from Sakura and Naruto.

Naruto glared at the two. "Where's Sasuke?"

Suigetsu's grin widened. "Why are you so fixated on him?" He drew his sword. "You've got us to play with."

Sakura and Naruto exchanged quick, surprised looks when they saw the sword Suigetsu wielded.

"Zabuza's sword," Sakura murmured.

Naruto nodded, and then turned back to the two in front of them. "Like it matters much though…I'm still gonna kick his butt! Leave these guys to me Sakura! You find Sasuke!"

Sakura stared at Naruto for a moment, a little surprised that he so quickly decided to fight the two and leave Sasuke to her, but then she smiled, understanding it as his way to say he trusted her enough to deal with Sasuke until he got there to impart his "guy's way of convincing." "Oh, I'll find him alright. Just hurry up."

Naruto grinned as he made the hand sign for shadow clones. "I know." He replied as Sakura leaped into the air, soaring over Suigetsu and Juugo's heads and into the trees they had emerged from.

Juugo looked to Suigetsu. "Should we do something?"

Suigetsu shook his head. "Nah, Sasuke'll kill her easy. Let's just get this guy."

Naruto scoffed. "Not before Sasuke gets a load of what Sakura's learned over the years." Four clones then appeared beside Naruto. "Bring it!"

"With pleasure," Suigetsu beamed as he held Zabuza's sword behind him and ran at Naruto, poised to strike.

Naruto held his ground as the man approached him, and right before Suigetsu swung his sword, Naruto jumped into the air. The sword sliced through his clones, and then Naruto quickly made the hand sign for more clones. Two appeared in the air beside him, and, using their momentum, they grabbed hold of the real Naruto and flung him at Suigetsu.

Suigetsu's eyes widened in surprise at the maneuver, and he couldn't move fast enough as Naruto whipped out a kunai and brought it tearing across Suigetsu's arm.

"Shit!" Suigetsu cried as a searing pain tore through his arm. He swung his sword in rage, but Naruto summoned another clone who he used to bounce off of and send him high into the air.

"Haha!" Naruto laughed tauntingly as he soared over the shark-man's head.

But then, Naruto felt a presence behind him, and unable to move fast enough to maneuver in midair, Juugo's huge, transformed fist slammed into the blond and sent him plummeting down to the ground.

The collision with the ground sent up a melee of rocks and broken earth, and the impact knocked the wind out of him. He gasped on the ground, tasting blood as it entered his mouth.

Suigetsu and Juugo appeared at the edge of the mini crater, grinning triumphantly down at Naruto.

"I knew this'd be easy," Suigetsu commented, putting his sword on his back, "but I didn't think it'd be _this_ easy."

"He's still breathing." Juugo stated, his transformed state receding back into his body. "Should we kill him?"

Suigetsu shrugged. "May as well. That pink-haired girl's probably dead by now too, so we may as well get it over with and clean up before Sasuke and Karin get back."

"Right." Juugo nodded. He lifted up an arm. "Should I do it?"

"Be my guest. I don't like killing weaklings." Suigetsu answered, turning away from the scene.

Juugo's arm transformed back into its' grotesque shape, and he stared down at Naruto with a mix of sympathy and bloodlust for getting to kill someone.

Juugo's arm started to come down, and it smashed onto Naruto's torso. More rocks flew up from the hit and skittered across the floor.

Juugo's eyes widened, and he brought his hand up. Suigetsu turned back around and gawked with disbelief. His head whipped around, searching the area.

"Where did he—?"

Suigetsu's words were cut off into choking noises as Naruto's arm slammed into his throat. Suigetsu flew backwards over the crater, and slid across the ground.

Naruto then pulled out a kunai and slashed at Juugo, who took a hit across the chest. Juugo stumbled backwards a few steps as Naruto pulled back.

Suigetsu sat up from the ground and rubbed at his neck. "Damn kid."

Naruto's eyes flicked between Suigetsu and Juugo. He had escaped Juugo's attack at the very last second. However, he looked down at his right arm, his pinky was broken. He couldn't escape it entirely.

"_Oh well,"_ he thought, _"it shouldn't affect my fighting too much. Maybe holding a kunai will feel a little awkward…but Sakura can heal it later when we get Sasuke back on our side."_

At the thought of Sakura, Naruto's head turned to the side to where he had watched Sakura leap off into the trees they had seen Suigetsu and Juugo emerge from earlier. He couldn't hear anything, and was worried whether or not Sakura was okay.

"_No…she's got to be okay. She'll be alright. We made a promise to bring Sasuke back." _Naruto shifted his attention back towards the two men before him. _"I'm gonna beat these guys up, and then I'm going to go help Sakura beat the Teme up, and then we'll all head back home. Sakura can hold her own against Sasuke for a while longer. After all, Sasuke…"_

But his thoughts were cut off as Suigetsu ran at Naruto with his sword ready.

"Take this!" Suigetsu roared.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he saw Suigetsu coming.

"_Yeah…I'll beat them." _Naruto thought. _"Just hang on guys."_

'"'

When Sakura had jumped over Suigetsu and Juugo and broken through the trees, she almost immediately spotted Sasuke still crouched on a branch from when they had been trying to hide from her and Naruto. She also noticed a red-headed girl was next to him staring up at her with a look that almost seemed like jealousy. Sakura pushed the thought of the red-head away though as she landed on a branch just ahead of the two.

"Sasuke," Sakura whispered as he stood up to face her.

"What are you two doing here, Sakura?" Sasuke questioned as he stared down the kunoichi.

Sakura stood mesmerized for a moment. It had been so long since she'd last seen Sasuke up on that hill in Orochimaru's lair, and before that it had been nearly three years since she'd seen him. The reunion brought her mixed emotions. However, she thought, she had a mission to accomplish, and couldn't let those emotions hold her down any longer.

Her eyes narrowed. "We're here to take you back…Sasuke." Sakura answered as she slowly reached for a kunai.

The red-head Sakura had noticed when she first arrived suddenly jumped in between her and Sasuke, her own kunai already in hand. She glared intensely at Sakura. Sasuke actually addressed the girl! She thought. And now it wasn't just his look, even his voice seemed softer than it normally was when he spoke to her, Suigetsu, or Juugo. Sasuke's sudden softness to the pink-haired ninja made her blood boil. She'd take care of her, she thought confidently a she raised the kunai in front of her.

"What do you want with Sasuke?" Karin spat acidly.

Sakura's nose wrinkled. The red-head addressed her with such a haughty, rude voice. It did make sense, seeing as they were enemies and all, but such serious and blatant disrespect really ticked her off. Sakura drew her kunai. "I thought I already answered that while I was speaking to Sasuke." Sakura's voice gave off a sharp edge that Karin picked up as anger.

The tension between the two kunoichi thickened as they stared each other down. Karin couldn't help but actually look at the pink-haired girl Sasuke addressed as Sakura. She had well-kempt, straight, shoulder-length pink hair, with jade green eyes that clashed yet work so perfectly with her hair color. Karin snidely noted that her chest really wasn't that big, but she also had to note that she did curve where a female should to pull off a nice, sexy look. Her shorts underneath a skirt along with a sleeveless shirt showed off her creamy toned skin.

Karin snorted. The more she saw the more she found she hated the girl. Sasuke's look and tone towards the girl replayed through her head, and she became enraged. She growled and lunged towards Sakura.

"What could you possibly have that I don't?" Karin snarled as she poised her kunai to strike right through Sakura's head.

Sakura's eyes widened at the red-head's statement, but she quickly regained her sharp look, and right before Karin could strike her, she slipped her kunai back into her leg pouch, and stepped backwards off the side of the branch, falling down until her hands caught the branch, and she swung up in an arc, kicking Karin at the base of her spine as the girl flew past where Sakura had been standing. Karin cringed forward and stumbled onto another branch as Sakura did a quick flipping maneuver and landed perfectly on a branch just a little closer to Sasuke.

"Sasuke," Sakura whispered again as they made eye contact.

Sasuke revered her with what she saw as a cold look, but behind it he hid his surprise that Sakura had been able to pull off such moves and injure Karin without getting so much as a scratch. Then again, he thought, Karin was only good for tracking. Other than that she was practically useless. "You and Naruto should give up." He stated blatantly.

Sakura remained unmoved, having expected that line. "We're not going anywhere until we get you to come home."

Sasuke snorted. "You're wasting your time."

"Maybe so…but…" Sakura huffed. "This is our last chance…after this it'll be impossible for you to run anymore."

Sasuke gave Sakura a skeptical look. "How so?"

Sakura pressed her lips together. "Because in three days time our time limit is up…and everybody's going to be going after you with the intent to kill you. Anbu are going to be on your tail 24/7. You won't live past a month if Naruto and I can't take you back."

Sasuke scoffed. "I'll kill anyone that gets in my way…even you."

Sasuke statement stung Sakura more than she'd show, and she tried her best to keep up her sharp stare at the Uchiha. In the distance she could hear the sounds of metal clashing and Naruto's clones appearing and disappearing. She hoped Naruto was alright.

As if reading her thoughts, Sasuke looked past her. "Suigetsu and Juugo alone can be defeated, but together…not even Naruto will be a match for them."

Sakura gawked at Sasuke. "You believe Naruto will be beaten?"

Sasuke didn't say anything. Sakura gripped her fists into tight balls. She really wanted to smack some sense into the Uchiha.

Suddenly behind her she heard a whirring sound, and she ducked just in time as a kunai flew over her head. Sasuke too had to sidestep the kunai, avoiding it effortlessly. He probably saw it coming, Sakura thought.

Sakura whipped around slightly, still trying to keep an eye on Sasuke in case he took that moment her back was to him to strike. She saw the same red-head from before glaring at her a few meters away.

Karin growled. She had heard their conversation. The girl and her blond-haired friend were trying to take Sasuke away from them! Away from her! She wouldn't let it happen, she thought.

Sakura huffed. "You don't know when to give up, do you?"

Karin glared at Sakura. "I'm just getting started."

Karin suddenly leapt at Sakura. No kunai in hand, or any other sort of weapon. Sakura stared her down as she flew towards her. She really was starting to hate the red-head.

Hiding it behind her back slightly, Sakura began to build up chakra into her fist. Sasuke could see Sakura's action, but was unsure what would happen.

The glasses-wearing girl was just about in arms length, looking like an animal ready to rip her prey apart. Sakura almost pitied the girl. Obviously she was someone like she used to be…someone who would wait and watch on the sides as the boys went out and fought.

In a single swing, Sakura brought out her chakra filled fist and connected it with the side of Karin's face. The force left Karin suspended in midair for a split second before she flew as fast as a bullet through the trees and far out of sight. If that hadn't broken her face, neck, and possibly killed her, Sakura thought, then she had some amazingly thick skin and rock tough bones, which she highly doubted the unfortunate girl possessed.

Sakura turned towards Sasuke, who she wasn't very surprised to see had a look of absolute shock on his face, or as close to absolute shock as she's ever seen Sasuke's face become: widened eyes, a partially agape mouth, and a slightly paled appearance. Sakura nearly grinned at the sight.

"So…" Sakura drawled, thinking of Naruto's "violence is always an option when convincing a guy of something" statement. "Are you willing to listen now and snap back to your senses? Or do I need to demonstrate what I just did to that girl on you?"

**Ahahahaha! Chapter two is done! Man…if I was in Sasuke's position…I'd have an inner party because Karin was probably killed by that punch, and then I'd probably piss myself after Sakura said that last line! Ahahaha! Wow…another chapter written in a sitting (well, not counting the revisions which took two sittings) and now I have another chapter that's telling me "holy crap, Okami-chan! This uber-long story just may be that uber-long story you want it to be! You're not even like…a sixth or hell…even an eighth of the way done! Woo-hoo!" Haaa…. Well, till later then! (And this document says it's exactly 3000 words! Well, now it's over that considering this is taking up words but…it was at one point!) **


	3. A Reason to Kill

**Chapter Three- A Reason to Kill**

Sasuke stared at the pink-haired girl in front of him. It had shocked him greatly to see her punch Karin in the face and send her flying out of distance. He could hardly sense her chakra now, which meant either she was far away, or she may be on the verge of death.

Sakura raised her fist to her side, getting down into a fighting stance. "Surprised?"

Sasuke quickly retracted back into his cool, expressionless outer shell. "Hn."

Sakura glared slightly at the Uchiha. "I'll ask again. Are you going to listen? Or do I have to show you what I did to that girl again?"

Sasuke took a defensive stance. "I doubt you could pull that one on me. Karin was the weakest of us; I'm not surprised you beat her. But you won't beat me."

Internally Sakura smiled hearing Sasuke talk trash about the red-head he called Karin. But she also raged. Even after Sasuke saw what she could do, he still believed that he was the high-and-mighty Uchiha, able to take down anybody.

She'd show him…then she'd drag him back to the village with her and Naruto.

"So you want to fight?" Sakura inquired, already prepping herself to react incase Sasuke lunged at her.

Sasuke smirked. "Fine." In a flash, he was gone. Sakura whipped her head around, expecting him to appear behind her, but nothing happened.

Sakura scanned the area, trying to spot where he was hiding. Her defensive instincts spiked, cautiously keeping an eye out for an attack. Nothing happened.

A moment later she realized what was really going on. "Damn it!" She cursed, whipping her head around to look behind her. "You're not getting away!"

Sakura waited for a moment, concentrating on picking out Sasuke's chakra. She could sense Naruto and the two guys he was fighting, she could faintly pick up the remaining chakra of that red-head, but she couldn't sense Sasuke yet.

Then she caught his chakra. He was headed east from her. She quickly bolted off in that direction. Remembering Sasuke's speed, she ran as quickly as she could in hopes of catching up with him.

She briefly passed over the clearing where Naruto was fighting. She caught a glimpse of Naruto, bruised and bloodied, but, she noted, the two guys were in similar conditions. She trusted him to beat them.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled. "Sasuke's running! I'm going after him!"

"Right!" Naruto called back, throwing a thumbs-up into the air before Sakura disappeared into the trees.

Suigetsu looked to Juugo, surprise evident on his features. "She's not dead? Damn, what does Sasuke think that he's doing?"

Juugo shrugged. "He may still be toying with her. Do you think she was the one who sent Karin flying like that?"

Suigetsu huffed. "Couldn't have been anyone else. Guess she's stronger than we thought. But Sasuke'll still take care of her." Suigetsu looked over to Naruto. "For now…we still need to take this guy down."

Naruto wrinkled his nose disgustedly. "Like you could."

Suigetsu frowned. "Are you trying to taunt us?"

"Maybe," Naruto replied snidely. "I hear people fight tougher, but at the same time their techniques weaken when they fight angry."

"Oh trust me," Suigetsu stated, holding out his sword, "that's true, but you don't want to try that on me. I'm stronger than you as is, technique or no technique."

"You think so?" Naruto declared mockingly.

Suigetsu's eyes narrowed as he glared at Naruto. Then, in a flash, Suigetsu disappeared and reappeared behind Naruto. Naruto gasped, trying to move, but it was all he could get out before Suigetsu ran his sword through him, easily slicing him in half.

Suigetsu grinned, sure that the blond was a goner, but it quickly faded into shock as the two halves of Naruto suddenly disappeared in a puff.

"A clone?" Suigetsu exclaimed. "Then where's…?" Suigetsu turned towards the direction Sakura had run off and swore. "That little punk!"

"What do we do now?" Juugo asked, approaching the shark-man.

Suigetsu turned to Juugo with an exasperated look on his face. "Tch. All this fighting is tiring me out. I need some water. You go check and see if Karin's still alive."

Juugo nodded and then went off in the direction they had seen Karin's body fly through the air.

Suigetsu turned back to where the two ninja had disappeared. "Well Sasuke…let's see if you're all you brag to be." Suigetsu grinned snidely. "Not that I'm complaining if you get your butt handed to you. You need a good whipping to finally put you in your place…."

'"'"'"'"

Sakura sped through the trees, keeping her attention focused on the chakra she sensed trying to get farther and farther away.

Something suddenly burst from the trees, frightening Sakura for a moment before she saw the familiar orange clothing and blond hair.

"Naruto," Sakura declared as he fell into step with her. "Did you beat those guys?"

Naruto grinned like his old mischievous self. "Nah, I gave them the slip. We're going to catch Sasuke together, right?"

Sakura stared at the blond for a moment, then smiled and focused back on Sasuke's retreating chakra. "Yeah…let's move."

Up ahead with Sasuke, he occasionally threw a glance over his shoulder, checking for any signs of his pink-haired pursuer. Unaware that now Naruto had joined the chase.

Sasuke looked ahead with a scowl on his face. He never expected to see such strength out of Sakura. When he'd last seen her in Orochimaru's lair he vaguely remembered her lunging at him with a fist ready. Now he understood that if he hadn't countered or dodged it, he probably would have been knocked out in one blow.

Sasuke also thought back to when he briefly whipped past Suigetsu, Juugo, and Naruto. None of them had noticed him fly past, but he had a moment to see them. Naruto seemed to be holding his own very well against Suigetsu and Juugo, a fact that surprised the Uchiha. He knew Naruto was able to grow at a fast rate, so he had no idea just how strong Naruto was now after so many years.

Sasuke smirked confidently. He still thought he could take them, though. He only ran in hopes that Suigetsu or Juugo may have stopped Sakura and pulled her into Naruto's battle, but when he sensed her chakra still pursuing him, he knew it had failed. Now he simply ran in hopes of finding a clearing where they could actually fight and he could take her down.

Then Sasuke caught it, he recognized Naruto's chakra, and it too pursued him at Sakura's side.

Sasuke swore. One at a time he knew would be no problem, but both of them at the same time may be trouble. Though, he noted, Naruto was injured, and he didn't think Sakura could have gotten that much stronger. He weighed his chances, and determined that he still had a chance.

At that instant, Sasuke emerged into a clearing, where he quickly hit the ground, skidding to a stop around the middle of the clearing. There he'd have plenty of room to fight. He quickly retreated a little farther back into the trees on the opposite side of where he had emerged. With any luck they would try to cross the clearing, and then Sasuke could easily launch a surprise attack and take out one of them, assuring a victory for him then.

A minute later Sakura and Naruto burst through the leaves, but instead of continuing, they both screeched to a stop around where Sasuke had.

Sakura looked straight towards where Sasuke stood. "I can see you, Sasuke."

"Yeah! Quit running you coward! Face us!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke snorted. Naruto hadn't changed much, but Sakura definitely came forward with much more confidence than before. He came forward, stopping when there was still a good fifteen feet between them.

Naruto grinned. "Finally decided to show yourself to us, eh?"

Sasuke didn't say anything, slowly inching his hand towards his sword.

Suddenly, moving so quickly Sasuke hardly registered it, a kunai whizzed dangerously close to his hand that had almost reached his sword.

Sakura retracted her outstretched hand. "There's no need for that, at least not if you listen to us."

Sasuke looked coldly towards the two. "Who said I was going to listen? Say as many touching words or send as many Anbu as you want…none of it will persuade me."

"So you're just going to throw your life away?" Sakura retorted.

Sasuke scoffed. "I haven't thrown it away. I told you before, we walk different paths. What's right to me may not be right in your eyes, but it makes perfect sense in mine."

Sakura retracted back slightly, a little stung by his words as images of the night he left flooded her mind. He _had_ said that to her that night.

Naruto shot Sasuke a foul look, sensing the tension coming from Sakura. "What happened to you, Sasuke? You never used to be like this! Sure, you're arrogant and self-centered and a braggart, but you're no idiot! What you're doing is stupid! You already killed Itachi! What more can you want?"

Sasuke glared at the blond. "You would never understand."

Naruto scoffed. "Like I haven't heard that shit before…Teme!"

Sasuke appeared unmoved, and began to reach for his sword again. Sakura caught his movement, and began to reach for another kunai, but she reacted too slowly. Sasuke unsheathed his sword, disappeared in a flash, and reappeared again behind her. The sword loomed dangerously close to her neck.

"Sakura!" Naruto gasped. "Don't do it, Sasuke!"

"Like I've said…" Sasuke whispered by Sakura's ear, "I'll kill anyone who tries to get in my way."

Sakura stared forward, unmoved by Sasuke's motion. "I've told you…we just need you to listen to us. Besides…I know you won't do it."

Both Naruto and Sasuke seemed taken aback by her statement.

"Sakura…" Naruto murmured with a concerned edge, worried about what her words could evoke from the Uchiha.

"And what gives you that notion?" Sasuke questioned, pressing the steel of his sword closer to her neck.

Sakura cocked her head slightly to see Sasuke out of the corner of her eye, just barely avoiding grazing the edge of the blade with her neck. "It's never really suited you…the role of a man who would kill needlessly…let alone kill a woman. You're an avenger, right? You don't kill without reason."

Sasuke's grip on his sword tightened slightly. A movement that didn't go unnoticed by Sakura.

"I knew it…." Sakura muttered.

Then, without any sort of warning, the sword flew from Sasuke's hands, and Sakura tackled Sasuke, sending them flying in the opposite direction of his sword.

"Naruto! Cast a clone, and make sure it doesn't let Sasuke get his sword!" Sakura ordered as she and Sasuke hit the ground.

Naruto nodded and immediately set to work summoning a clone, who then ran to Sasuke's sword, picked it up, and disappeared into the trees.

The position they had been in when Sakura gave her order was that Sakura had been on top of Sasuke, but as Naruto had cast his clone and sent it towards Sasuke's sword, Sasuke quickly lashed out at the kunoichi. His hand wrapped around her throat, and he easily reversed their position.

Sakura stared up at Sasuke in surprise at his action, quickly sending her hands to where Sasuke's were clamped around her throat in an attempt to pry his fingers off of her.

Sasuke leaned in a little over Sakura so their faces were close to each other's. He smirked. "I'm surprised you could deduce that, Sakura. You seem to have changed while I was gone." His grip on her neck tightened slightly, causing Sakura to gag for a moment as he pressed on her airway. "But don't think I won't kill you…because you are in my way…that is my reason."

The two stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Sakura's betrayed the fear she felt inside over the thought of Sasuke really killing her, while Sasuke's were hardened, radiating his seriousness in that he would really try to take her life. The feelings Sakura got seeing his expression were like a thousand tiny needles pricking painfully at her heart.

Sakura tried again to pull Sasuke's hand away from her throat. Channeling her chakra into her hands, she began to succeed. Sasuke's eyes widened as he realized she was overpowering him, and without much more warning, Sakura shoved his arm away and she rolled, causing Sasuke to lose his balance on top of her, and for the second time she was the one on top.

"Sakura!" Naruto called, almost as surprised as Sasuke to see Sakura overpower the Uchiha.

Sakura's eyes flicked to the side briefly at Naruto's call, but then she realized that was a mistake to do. However, it was too late. Sasuke grabbed hold of her shoulders and shoved her up then back down to the ground.

"I've had enough of this wrestling match." Sasuke hissed.

Sakura's eyes widened as she felt a charge of lightning chakra course through Sasuke's hands. It started as a tingle at first, but then it quickly ramped up to a stabbing pain as his jutsu shocked her. Sakura let out a pained cry.

Then an instant later, Sasuke was suddenly thrust to the side. His jutsu no longer affecting her, Sakura bolted up into a sitting position as Naruto skidded to a halt just between her and Sasuke.

Naruto stared Sasuke down. "You're gonna have to go through me if you want Sakura!"

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered as her hands came up and ran over her throat and shoulders where Sasuke had pinned her.

"Leave him to me, Sakura. It seems I need to beat some sense into him before he'll listen to us!" Naruto growled, not taking his eyes off of the Uchiha who now picked himself up off the ground to return Naruto's harsh stare.

Sasuke smirked. "Bring it…I'm actually interested to see just how much stronger you've become…Dobe."

**And we're cutting it off here! For those of you reading this for the first time, I guess you're interested to see what happens. For those of you reading this for a second or third or however many times because you may be reading this re-written chapter, you're just trying to take in anything that's new. (Like Sasuke and Sakura's extended wrestling match.) And for the new people not knowing what I'm talking about, well, you don't have to worry because you get to read the improved version rather than the older version and then this version. So anyway, on to the next chapter! **


	4. Light

**Chapter Four- Light**

"You're asking for it, Sasuke." Naruto growled.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you actually going to do something?" Sasuke scoffed haughtily.

An instant later Naruto threw a barrage of shuriken at Sasuke, all of which Sasuke dodged easily.

"Is that all you—?" Sasuke began to say, when he heard a "poof!" behind him, and whipped around to see one of Naruto's shadow clones armed with kunai which he threw at the surprised Uchiha.

Sasuke smirked briefly. "You forget, Dobe…" he flipped into the air, just grazing above the range of kunais. He landed behind the clone, taking it out effortlessly. "I helped you pull that stunt off years ago against Zabuza. That move can't touch me."

Naruto grinned. "I know." Sasuke shot Naruto a skeptical look. "But who said I didn't still have help? And who said my attack was done?"

As soon as Naruto finished speaking Sasuke realized what he meant, and he flew to the ground just in time as Sakura appeared behind him; her chakra filled fist flying through the air directly above him.

Sasuke mentally cursed for a moment as he tried to pull off a sweep kick against the kunoichi. Sakura saw it coming though, and jumped as Sasuke's leg swept under her. Sakura hit the ground and pushed herself away from Sasuke, landing a few feet away from him.

Sasuke stood and looked from Sakura to Naruto. "Tch. A nice try, I'll give you that."

"Sasuke!" Naruto called. "Why can't you just listen to reason?"

Sasuke scowled. "I am listening to reason…it's just different from yours."

"It's stupidity!" Naruto raged. "Who is this going to benefit in the end? Yourself? By the time everything's done you'll just be alone!"

"Idiot," Sasuke scoffed, "I already am alone. I walk this path by myself."

"You don't need to be alone Sasuke." Sakura declared.

Sasuke turned to the pink-haired girl. "And who would I walk with? You and Naruto? Tch, if I walk that path it'll only lead to weakness."

"Weakness you say?" Sakura spat, her fist clenched.

In a flash, she launched herself at Sasuke. Sasuke jumped effortlessly out of the way. Sakura's fist hit the ground, and for a moment Sasuke smirked, thinking she just hurt herself, until suddenly the whole ground around her exploded into ruble. Sasuke leapt farther back as the ripple of her chakra-filled fist got to him. The ground crumbled where he had stood. Sasuke landed again near the trees, just a few meters off from where the effects of her hit shattered the ground.

"Do you want to tell me that I'm still weak?" Sakura snarled, her eyes narrowing as she gazed at the Uchiha. "I got this strength training with my friends around me."

Shock was an understatement to what Sasuke felt seeing Sakura's strength, and he tried hard not to let it show on his face. He knew he should have expected some damage after seeing her send Karin flying off, but he wasn't prepared to see her do _that_ much damage.

"_She got this strength after only a few years of training?" _Sasuke thought. _"How is that possible? Even I couldn't do something like that with my fist and chakra alone." _

Sakura grinned triumphantly, standing up straight and putting a hand on her waist. "Surprised, obviously. Naruto and Kakashi-Sensei had about the same reaction."

In the back Naruto chuckled nervously. "Yep. See, Teme! This is what friendship does! You think she just wanted to get stronger for the sake of being stronger?"

Sasuke raised a curious brow at the blonds' statement, which the two understood to mean: "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sakura tugged slightly on her glove, her eyes dropping to the destroyed ground between her and Sasuke. "You and Naruto…you're the ones who made me want to become stronger. I wasn't driven by anger or hate. It was the desire to not be left behind. To catch up with you both…so we could all walk the same path…all of us getting stronger and stronger…together."

Sasuke stared at Sakura as she got back down into a fighting stance.

"This is what having people around you does. It pushes you farther, drives you forward, a motivation you could never get when you're alone."

Without another word, Sakura launched herself at Sasuke once again, another fistful of chakra ready.

Sasuke reacted, getting away as Sakura landed another punch to the ground. What he didn't expect though, was for Naruto to suddenly be next to him.

"Sakura's right you know." Naruto muttered to the Uchiha before he landed a good punch to Sasuke's face, making him fall back and hit the ground. Naruto held up the first that struck him. "Really…I don't think I'd be this strong if it wasn't for you."

Sasuke looked up as Naruto and Sakura moved to either side of him. They were out of immediate range, but at the same time they had him trapped between them.

Naruto chuckled. "I remember…back when we were Genin we had that rivalry going on. I'm sure you remember. It was that rivalry that pushed us both forward. Both of us wanted to become stronger than the other. Remember when we were learning the tree climbing technique? Both of us weren't very good at it at first, but once we started getting the hang of it, we kept comparing against each other to see who got the highest each time. We both even stayed out till late at night until we both reached the top…and then you helped me back to Tazuna's place because I was so exhausted."

Sasuke blinked up at Naruto, a vague memory of what he told him flashing through his mind. He quickly suppressed it though, not wanting to show any reaction to what the blond was recalling.

Naruto smiled. "I also remember more than that. Our rivalry was anything. Who could eat the most and not throw up, who could take the most pain, or who could do a task faster. When you learned a new move I wanted to learn one. When you beat an enemy I lost against, I was angry, but at the same time I wanted to train myself…so one day I'd take you down and you'd submit that I was stronger than you."

"I remember…" Sakura spoke up, "when we were first attacked by Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. You fought so bravely, and you protected me. Then when you and Naruto were knocked out, I had to step up to take care of you both. I had to fight those Sound Ninja. In that battle I realized how much I envied you and Naruto…and how much I wanted to get stronger, too. After that I worked towards strengthening myself…looking forward to the day that you would acknowledge me as your equal…not someone who was weaker than you."

Sasuke looked up from Naruto to Sakura as they spoke. He thought their words would just bounce off of him as most people's words usually did, he tried to make their words bounce off of him, but for some reason it only stirred something inside of him. It felt light, something that he hadn't felt in a long time.

It was an old…happy feeling, something that he only felt because he knew that his two best friends were near him. It was light shining through his world of darkness and hatred where he believed only being alone and fueling his powers with anger would make him stronger.

"Sasuke…" Sakura spoke up again, "we need you. We're just not our full, happy selves without you. You know we punched a guy when he thought he was a part of our team? We both just didn't feel right saying we were Team Seven if you weren't there. We're not as strong as we could be…not without you there as a driving force for us to become stronger. And I think deep down it's the same for you. You'll never be able to reach your full potential because you'll never have anyone whom you want to surpass or try to compare yourself to."

"Sure you had Itachi…" Naruto stated. "But he's gone now. You compared to and then surpassed him. Now you need to find someone else to surpass…but not because you hate them and want to kill them, it'd be because you want them to acknowledge you…sort of like what we want you to do for us. We want you to acknowledge us, and maybe you'd want us to acknowledge you."

Finally, something in Sasuke snapped, but it wasn't like a bad snap where he would have lost his temper, it was more like a snap that made him realize something: their words were working on him. Something inside of him _wanted _to believe, _wanted _their words to be true, and_ wanted _to go home. Home to the Leaf village where they were.

Sasuke stood up slowly, trying his best not to set off Naruto or Sakura and make them attack him in fear he'd strike out at them. He very carefully and cautiously brushed the dirt off himself as he stared down at the ground. Naruto and Sakura stood still, waiting to see what he was going to do.

Finally he looked up from the ground, and glanced from Naruto to Sakura, and then ahead of him like he was looking at some imaginary figure before him.

"Okay." Was all he said as he looked back towards the ground.

Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened at the same time as they heard Sasuke speak that single word.

"O-okay?" Naruto stammered, wary. "Okay?"

Sasuke glanced over at Naruto with a hint of exasperation. "That's what I said, wasn't it? You're not deaf, are you?"

"You mean…?" Sakura breathed, unbelieving.

Sasuke shifted his look over to Sakura. "Okay."

In the next moment Naruto erupted. "Woo-hoooo! TEME!" He suddenly tackled the Uchiha into a backbreaking bear hug.

Sasuke huffed, annoyed. "Dobe, get off of me."

Naruto glared up at Sasuke. "Temeeee!" He looked over to Sakura. "Join in, Sakura! He's coming home! He's coming home! The Teme's coming back home to the Leaf Village!"

Sakura stared at Sasuke for a moment, and Sasuke didn't think she'd come over until suddenly tears started to form at the corners of her eyes and she came forward to join Naruto in hugging Sasuke.

"I'm so glad you're coming back, Sasuke." Sakura muttered against his shoulder, which was about the farthest she came up to. It surprised her how much he had grown over the years.

For about another moment Sasuke felt annoyed at the tight proximity, but, giving up, he accepted their hugs and words of happiness that finally he was coming home with them.

'"'"'"'"

The three of them didn't bother to go to where Sasuke and his team had originally been resting when Naruto and Sakura found them, there was nothing important back there for Sasuke to grab, and also if Taka had come back then there would probably be hell about him leaving. They found it best for them to assume he was gone. It didn't really matter to him what Taka believed.

The three ran through the trees, heading as fast as they could back to the Leaf Village to make it back in their time limit. They knew as soon as their time limit was up that Anbu would be crawling throughout the place, and they probably wouldn't let them pass without trouble, even if it was on Tsunade's orders.

They made one stop their whole trek home, and that was only because night had fallen, and they all could really use some food and rest after their battle.

Sasuke watched from a little distance away as Sakura worked on Naruto's wounds. He had seen Kabuto use medical jutsus many times during his years with Orochimaru, and he knew how Karin's healing ability worked. Seeing medical work was nothing special to him anymore, but seeing Sakura use medical jutsus took him a moment to process.

It seemed that over the years Sakura had not only gained an enormous amount of strength, which he still didn't entirely understand looking at her slight form, but she had also learned the ways of a medical ninja at some point, and it was apparent that she was talented at it as well. Sasuke could only imagine what else Sakura could have learned in the years.

He then turned his attention to Naruto, who laughed and chatted idly with Sakura as she found any wounds that she could that he received in his fight with Suigetsu and Juugo. That was another thing he had noted. Naruto had been able to hold his own against both Suigetsu and Juugo, and then he had somehow outsmarted them in order to get away so he could join Sakura when she went to chase after him. None of his wounds even looked that bad, more like flesh wounds, which told Sasuke that Naruto had also gotten stronger over the years.

Sasuke continued to stare at the two for a few moments more before he turned to start making a place to sleep for the night.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke turned when he recognized Sakura calling for him. She waved a hand, beckoning him to come over.

"Let me see you, I want to check for any injuries."

Sasuke wanted to reply saying how he wasn't really injured in their battle besides maybe Naruto's punch to his face, but he relented anyway, and went over to where the two had seated themselves next to a fire.

Sasuke sat down, and Sakura moved to sit on her knees in front of him. She started with his face, cupping it and turning it from side to side to check for anything. Sasuke watched her from the corners of his eyes as he observed her scrutinizing his face.

Green chakra appeared in her hand over Sasuke's right cheek where Naruto had punched him in their fight.

"It's only a bruise, but it's better than walking into the Village with a purple mark on your face from where Naruto got you." Sakura giggled lightly as her hand stopped glowing and it dropped from his face with the other one.

She then continued on, checking his arms, legs, and torso. He noticed her frown a little sadly when she saw all the scars that covered his body, but she didn't say or ask anything about them.

Finally she finished, finding only minor scratches from running so quickly through the trees from them, and one cut from a kunai that he hadn't even noticed had nicked him, probably from when Naruto's clone had thrown some at him.

"Alright, everything checks out okay." Sakura assured him as she leaned away from the Uchiha. "Now," she stretched her arms into the air, "I think what all of us need now is a good night sleep. With the pace we're going we should be in the village by tomorrow afternoon."

'"'"'"'"

Sakura's assumptions were proven correct as by tomorrow afternoon the three of them stood in Tsunade's office. A triumphant smile was plastered onto the Hokage's face as she gazed at the trio.

"Looks like it was wise to send you two after Sasuke." Tsunade noted approvingly. "And of course now that he's back I can call off the Anbu and send a hawk to each of the other four nations telling them to end their searching and that I plan to keep Sasuke alive." Tsunade sighed deeply. "Though I doubt they'll be very happy with me."

"Searching?" Sakura echoed, confused. "Lady Tsunade…I thought you said only the Leaf Village would be going after him."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as they landed on her student. "That's what I wanted you to believe…if I had to throw on the extra pressure of other nations looking for him, I wouldn't doubt it that you and Naruto would have pushed yourself to your limits, and you'd have been way too tired to have fought and successfully convinced Sasuke to come back after that."

Sakura and Naruto exchanged bewildered looks, but quickly averted their attention back to Tsunade.

"So Sasuke's free to go?" Naruto asked, casting a look between the silent Uchiha and the Hokage.

"Not quite…" Tsunade answered. Sakura and Naruto tensed, unsure of what would come out of the Hokage's mouth. "He still needs to be tested…we can't so quickly put our trust back into him after all he's done. He is still considered an S-ranked criminal."

Sakura and Naruto looked a little disheartened, knowing Tsunade was right.

"But," Tsunade smirked, "I'm pretty sure that with you two around, Sasuke should be able to stay straight."

At that Naruto and Sakura smiled, and looked over to their raven-haired teammate.

"You hear that, Teme?" Naruto cheered. "You better be a good boy, or I'll beat you up!"

Sasuke looked to the blond and smirked. "Like you could."

"Teme! Rrr…" Naruto growled.

Sakura laughed lightly at the sight of the two. Tsunade too let out a chuckle.

Everything was finally back to as it should be.

**Da-da-da-daaa! The first phase of my story is compleeete! Seven more parts to go! Woo-hoo! So anyway…now that Sasuke is back we can go on with the real stuff! This was almost like a four chapter prologue. Now the real fun begins! And now that my revisions are done, this chapter I used to think was long is now even longer! Yay!  
And now as my last note…people who think "what the hell? Why did Sasuke come home so easily? What bull!" Please don't eat me…. I had to come up with something, and actually the more I thought the more I realized just how hard it would truly be. I couldn't think of a better way…could you? I think that all you questioners out there should at least give me some slack for trying rather than just saying "Sasuke came back." (Because then this story would be four chapters shorter.) So nya! Later people! **


	5. Trust

**Chapter Five- Trust**

"At the moment, the client is stationed in the Land of Waves, and is waiting there for you three to escort him here so he can do his work. The mission is B-ranked, so it's very likely that you'll run into some trouble along the way." Tsunade explained as Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto stood patiently in front of her in her office.

"So," Sakura spoke up, "this is the mission that will test whether or not Sasuke is trustworthy?"

Tsunade nodded, and then looked over to the said Uchiha. "That's right. If he betrays any hints that he may leave again or try to do something horrible, we'll have to execute him."

Naruto gave Sasuke a rough pat on the back. "Hear that, Teme? You better behave yourself and listen to me!"

"I didn't hear anything about having to listen to _you, _Dobe." Sasuke grumbled. "If anyone's the leader here it's Sakura, she's the highest rank of us."

"Hahaha…eh…damn…." Naruto huffed, glancing towards their female teammate. "You're right…we're both still considered Genin, and Sakura's a Chunin."

Sakura smiled at the two. "Yeah, so you have to listen to me, _Naruto_."

"Hey! Why put the emphasis on my name?" Naruto retorted, looking surprised. "Teme here's the one we gotta look out for!"

Sasuke glared at the blond. "I said I'd come home…I'm not about to go ruin my chances and get myself killed."

"Alright you three," Tsunade interjected, "I think that's enough of that. You have your mission, so go get ready for it."

Sakura bowed her head. "Yes, Lady Tsunade."

Naruto half-bowed his head. "Alright, Grandma."

Sasuke simply inclined his head with a "Hn," and then the three turned to leave Tsunade's office.

Tsunade let out a sigh as the three of them left. "I would hope that Sasuke is on his best behavior. I would think that more than hired ninja are going to be going after them."

'"'"'"'"

"Hey, hey!" Naruto beckoned. "Let's stop for some ramen before we leave!"

"Naruto, we have to get to the client as soon as we can." Sakura replied in a scolding tone. "We can't just stop to eat ramen while we're still in the village."

"I'm not very hungry." Sasuke stated flatly from Sakura's side as Naruto gestured hopefully at his favorite ramen stand.

"But I have money this time! I'll pay!" Naruto pleaded. "Pleeease? I haven't gotten to eat any since we got back from retrieving Sasuke!"

"Naruto, I'm telling you—" Sakura began again.

"Rrrrr…"

A huge grin found its way across Naruto's face. "Your stomach does not lie, Sakura."

A slight blush formed on Sakura's cheeks as she glared at the blond. "Shut up. I can last till we take a break on the road."

"Rrrr…"

Naruto's grin widened as Sakura turned to Sasuke for some sort of support.

Sasuke sighed. "Let's just make the Dobe and your stomach happy."

The look that crossed Sakura's face was somewhere between disappointment at Sasuke's answer and an unspoken relief because deep down she was really hungry.

Sakura turned to Naruto with an exasperated huff. "So long as you're paying."

"Yay!" Naruto cheered, and the three moved into the ramen stand.

"Naruto, Sakura, it's been a while." The owner off Ichiraku greeted them. His eyes widened slightly as they landed on Sasuke. "Hey, you're…that Uchiha boy! What are you doing here?"

Sakura and Naruto exchanged quick, frantic looks, knowing it'd be impossible to explain everything to the old man.

Naruto suddenly looked up to the owner. "We dragged his butt back here! That's what! Two orders of pork ramen please!"

"Uh…" the owner stammered, but then smiled at the blond. "Coming up!"

Sakura let out a barely audible sigh as the owner turned his back to them. _"Man, that scared me for a second…obviously not many people really know the story behind Sasuke's leaving…let's keep it that way." _

The trio seated themselves at the stand as the owner began to cook up their noodles.

"So," Naruto declared, "we're headed back to the Land of Waves."

Sakura nodded her head. "Yeah, it's been a while since we've been there."

Naruto leaned onto the counter and looked towards Sasuke who was seated on the other side of Sakura. "Do you remember that mission we went on Teme? How you got beat by that masked guy Haku and _I _beat him?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't have even been alive to beat him if I didn't have to save your stupid ass. And who was the guy who popped onto the battlefield with a huge, loud entrance when he could have waited in the shadows for a bit and actually made an impact on the enemy with a surprise attack?"

Naruto scoffed. "You're just jealous that the spotlight wasn't on you and your little battle."

"Why would I care? So long as it's a win it doesn't matter who watches."

"But it _wasn't_ a win!"

"It could have been if I didn't need to take all those senbon for you."

"Excuses, excuses."

"Guys, will you shut up already?" Sakura ordered. "We're going to be heading off on a mission with a bunch of memories, yes, but it doesn't mean you two have to be at each other's throats over it."

"This is coming from the girl who cried over Sasuke's seemingly dead body." Naruto huffed.

A vein in Sakura's head twitched, and she held down the urge to hit the blond over the head. "Like you didn't cry when we were leaving the Land of Waves!"

"I'm just saying." Naruto stated as their ramen was placed before them. Naruto reached over and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. "That mission had a whole lot of ugly."

"Yes, you were there." Sasuke muttered.

Naruto stuck his chopsticks threateningly at the Uchiha. "Shut up! Low blow, Teme!"

"Dobe."

"I will hurt you both if you don't quit bickering!" Sakura snapped.

The two boys looked at Sakura, glared at each other, and then turned their attention to the food or the countertop.

Sakura heaved a heavy sigh. _"Boys…." _

'"'"'"'"

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto followed along a wide path, heading towards the Land of Waves. They had been traveling for a couple hours already, and expected to hit the bridge connecting the Land of Waves and the mainland by the afternoon.

"Hey, I wonder if we'll maybe see Tazuna and Inari while we're there." Naruto chirped. "I know we'll get to cross 'The Great Naruto Bridge!' Hahaha…."

Sakura shook her head. "Maybe…and shut up. No reason to act all high-and-mighty just because there's a bridge named after you."

"I'm not acting high-and-mighty!" Naruto retorted.

"Maybe not now, but I bet he won't shut up once we're actually walking over the bridge." Sasuke muttered just enough for Sakura to hear.

Sakura giggled at Sasuke's statement. "I bet." She too muttered so only Sasuke could hear.

Naruto blinked. "Huh? Am I missing something? Teme! Did you say something?"

"No," Sasuke responded as Sakura shook her head.

"Hmph, save the flirting for a time when I'm not around." Naruto puffed.

Sakura's cheeks reddened as she glared at the blond. "Shut up, Naruto."

"So you guys were flirting?" Naruto gasped.

"Naruto," Sakura chided. "Just be quiet."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I'll still note that you didn't deny you were flirting." Naruto mumbled the last part to himself.

The three continued on in silence for a little while after that. Each of them wrapped up in their own thoughts as they followed their trail.

Suddenly, something came to Sasuke's attention; a noise, almost too small for him to hear. He froze in his tracks.

Sakura and Naruto soon noticed that Sasuke was not with them. They both stopped and turned to face their teammate.

"What's the hold up, Te—?" Naruto began to ask, but Sasuke held up a finger, gesturing for him to be silent as he tried to listen.

After another moment Sasuke turned and walked up to Naruto and Sakura. "I thought I heard something…must have been my imagination." He declared.

Sasuke walked to come in between Sakura and Naruto.

"We're being followed. Act natural." He murmured just low enough for them to hear.

Holding back reactions like the trained ninja they were, Sakura and Naruto turned to fall into step with their friend like nothing had happened. At the same time they put all their senses on alert, trying to hear or sense whatever it was that Sasuke had that tipped him off to their being followed.

"Do you think they're after the client?" Naruto muttered softly.

"No," Sasuke responded, "no one knows except Tsunade where we're headed. It's pure ninja-versus-ninja."

Naruto grunted, understanding, and then he skipped forward and turned to walk backwards and face his teammate.

He put on a big grin. "So what're we gonna do when we get there?"

Sakura and Sasuke immediately caught on to what Naruto meant. They were speaking in code, trying to seem natural so they could discuss the problem without their enemies knowing. They had all done it before. What Naruto really meant was "what are we going to do about these guys?"

Sakura smiled. "I dunno…kill some time." _Should we just kill them?_

Naruto seemed to ponder this. "I don't know…I mean, I've never been there. Maybe we could get some information on the place before we go doing much." _We don't really know who they are. Maybe we should get some information out of them._

Sasuke huffed. "Sounds like a bother. We'll know what we need to when we get there. No point in staying too long." _No, I don't think so. We should just take them out and keep going._

Sakura nodded her head in agreement. "That sounds good to me."

Naruto sighed and nodded. "Alright, go with the Teme."

Suddenly Sakura picked up on a trace of chakra. One of their followers weren't doing a good job of hiding their chakra. Sasuke seemed to catch this as well.

"Where's that town again?" Sakura asked. "I think it's to the east a little ways off." _Our followers are to the right, close by. _

"Yeah, you're right." Sasuke responded.

Naruto caught on to what they meant, and subtly nodded his head like he was agreeing with their conversation. He huffed. "Man, walking there is such a bore…we really need some…_action_, don't we?" _When should we get them?_

Sakura nodded. "We do. What could we do _now _though?" _Should we get them now?_

Sasuke nodded as well. "How about we do something…_now_."

Right as Sasuke issued his cue the three of them whipped their heads to the right and threw an arsenal of shuriken. The weapons flew into the forest, and three shapes came out, leaping out and landing in front of them on their path.

There were three of them, all dressed in raggedy black clothes. They all glared at the ninja, not having expected them to have caught them so easily.

"Rogues, eh?" Naruto grinned. "Is that all? I guess it really is just ninja-on-ninja action."

The one in the middle sneered. "So you sniffed us out, eh? That's some sharp senses you must have."

Naruto raised his arms to make the hand sign for shadow clones. "I'm gonna be the next Hokage! Of course my senses are sharp!"

"_Sasuke told him that they were here…and then I told him where they were…" _Sakura sighed, _"I told him he was getting high-and-mighty…." _

Shaking off her thoughts, Sakura began to reach for her weapons. Sasuke suddenly stuck an arm in front of her though to stop her. Sakura looked up to the Uchiha with a perplexed expression.

"Let us handle them." Sasuke told her.

Sakura resisted the urge to scoff at Sasuke's order. "Excuse me?" She hissed. "It's three-on-three, not 'make the _Chunin in charge _sit out because she's a girl!'"

"It's not because you're a girl." Sasuke responded, slowly inching his way forward and in front of Sakura almost in a protective way. "Me and Naruto can take them."

"And I could take them all with one hand." Sakura retorted. "You're not leaving me out of this."

"You're a medic, not a fighter."

This time Sakura did scoff. "Ex_cuse _me? Why the hell do you think I've been training? I'm not just a medic meant to stand at the side and heal your wounds! I have every right and capability to be out there in the thick of it all with you and Naruto."

By now Sasuke had inched so far forward he had to turn his head over his shoulder to address the kunoichi. "Just—"

"Hey! If you two are done!" Naruto called, two clones already by his side. "Mind doing some of the work?"

Sakura looked up at Sasuke for a moment, and then disappeared, reappearing a moment later behind the three rogues.

The three of them whipped around in surprise as Sakura targeted the one on the left from her and launched herself towards the man. At the same moment Naruto ordered his clones forward to attack the rogue on the other end, leaving the one that had stood in the middle to Sasuke.

Within moments three individual fights had started.

The rogue left for Sasuke ran at him with a kunai in hand. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, the man had poor fighting skills. He twisted to the side, grabbed the man's arm, and flipped him over. The man gasped as he hit the ground, and then suddenly disappeared. Sasuke cursed, realizing it was a clone. He scanned the area.

Then, he heard something below him, and he leapt up as the rogue's hand appeared underneath him.

"Headhunter Jutsu." Sasuke murmured as he landed on the ground and the rogue came back up. "I remember falling for that one when Kakashi used it on me…it won't work again."

The rogue made a few hand signs as he stared down the Uchiha, and then raised a hand in front of his mouth.

"_Fireball jutsu…a fire style user." _Sasuke thought as he quickly made his own hand signs in return.

At the same time the two launched their Fireball jutsus at each other. They clashed and sent up a big display of flames, but Sasuke could tell his were winning. The flames pushed forward, engulfing the area the rogue had been, but when they died out, Sasuke was surprised to see the man had vanished.

Catching his chakra a moment later, Sasuke whipped around in time to catch a fist from the rogue. He threw his own fist in return that the rogue caught, and the two were caught in a deadlock.

In their struggle, Sasuke glanced over to where Sakura was fighting her rogue. She seemed to be doing a good job, and even appeared to be winning. A smirk reached his face as he watched Sakura hit the man and send him flying backwards. Just a few days ago, he thought, that could have been him.

Then Sasuke caught something Sakura had yet to notice. Keeping his body twisted to the side so Sakura couldn't see it, the rogue pulled out a projectile-like weapon from his cloak, and was preparing to launch it at Sakura. She wouldn't be able to move fast enough if it was shot at close range.

Sakura ran towards the rogue, a chakra filled fist ready, unaware of the weapon the man held that he prepared to launch at the kunoichi.

In a flash, the rogue Sasuke had been fighting was grappling with air. The one Sakura fought was just pulling out his weapon when something suddenly grasped his wrist with a fierce firmness, almost yanking him backwards.

Sakura froze in her tracks as Sasuke held the man's wrist back, revealing his weapon. Sakura stared wide-eyed at it for a moment, and then made a leap forward, crashing her chakra filled fist into the man's stomach, effectively knocking him out. The weapon fell from his grasp as Sasuke dropped him to the ground.

Sakura immediately turned to glare at the Uchiha. "I told you I could take care of myself! I didn't need your help!"

"If you had gotten any closer and he had pulled that out, you'd have a hole in your stomach by now." Sasuke retorted.

"I could have dodged it."

"No, you couldn't have. It would have moved too fast."

Sakura's glare narrowed to something even sharper, and in an instant she was behind the rogue Sasuke had been fighting. She swung her arm around, cracking her forearm onto the back of the rogues head, knocking him out as well.

As the second rogue fell to the floor Sakura looked over at Sasuke with a look between anger and a contented smugness. "Easy, and I didn't need any help."

Sasuke shot an irritated look towards the pink-haired girl. "I was just helping."

Sakura let out a sharp breath through her nose and turned as Naruto came up to them. His rogue also laid unconscious on the floor.

Naruto looked from Sasuke to Sakura. "Awe, no reason to get so bent out of shape. Sasuke's just showing he _cares_." A devious grin stretched across Naruto's face. "At least we know he's gaining back his old loyalty."

Sakura huffed, and then as she glanced from Naruto over to Sasuke, her look softened. "Yeah, I guess."

Naruto's grin widened into a cheerful one. "Right! So let's go everyone! We got a client to get to!"

Sakura and Sasuke looked towards their blond friend, looked towards each other, and then followed Naruto as they continued down their path.

**And part two of this eight part story has begun! …Well, I find this chapter a little interesting. Though I was hoping to only improve on SasuSaku through the time…but for some reason I just found it so perfect to have them bicker a little. So that's what I did! In other news…I really wanna dance! The music I'm listening to is sooo good! The only problem is I don't even know how to dance…. Right, so, there was my installment of "Okami-chan's randomness" thank you for reading! Oh, and thanks for reading the chapter too! Till the next one! **


	6. Intermission in the Mission

**Chapter Six- Intermission in the Mission**

"Man, how long has it been since we've been here? Pretty long huh? We were cute little Genin back then!" Naruto grinned as he skipped around the Great Naruto Bridge.

"I'd like to point out, Naruto, that you're still a Genin." Sakura huffed as she watched the blond bounce around.

"Well you get what I mean." Naruto replied, casting a glance back at his female teammate. "You still had long hair and no medical skills, Teme was actually an innocent, arrogant, egotistical—"

"Are you going somewhere with this, Dobe?" Sasuke scoffed, looking out to the vast body of water they crossed.

"Teme wasn't all darkness obsessed and Orochimaru-influenced." Naruto finished. "And I…well, I was cool then, I'm cool now…."

Sakura stifled a laugh. "Since when did you become 'cool'?"

"Hey! Who was the guy who kicked those thugs butts when they targeted Inari and his mom? Who was the guy who beat up Haku? Yeah, that was me! I've always been cool!"

Sakura let out a laugh. "Who was the guy who burst into tears when we were leaving the Land of Waves?"

Naruto thumped his chest. "That just proves my coolness! Only a cool man would ever cry in public!"

"That's not what you were saying at Ichiraku." Sakura pointed out with a snide smile.

Naruto waved a hand dismissively. "I hadn't thought of the retort yet. I'm still the awesome and cool Naruto!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Dobe. You were also the one who freaked out when he got a little poison in his hand." Sasuke stated with a smirk.

Sakura giggled. "Oh yeah! And Sasuke here was the one taking care of the guys who got you before Kakashi showed up."

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "But Teme lost to Haku! Only the Great Naruto could take care of him!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "And like I said in Ichiraku: If I didn't have to worry about keeping your butt alive when Haku actually knocked you out, I could have beaten him."

"Tch," Naruto puffed, "excuses, excuses."

"Tch, rail." Sasuke declared.

"Rai—wha!" Naruto exclaimed as he bumped into the side railing of the bridge and fell backwards over the side.

Sakura and Sasuke could hear Naruto yell for a bit, and then they heard a splash.

Sakura blinked. "I don't know if I should laugh or be concerned."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "He'll catch up." He then continued walking.

Sakura watched Sasuke walk for a moment, giggled, and then sped up to catch up with him. "Yeah."

'"'"'"'"

"You guys are so mean!" Naruto whined as he sat in his boxers, drying out his clothes on the floor. The three of them had arrived in the Land of Waves.

"I had warned you, Dobe." Sasuke responded as he set up a place to sleep.

"But you guys kept walking! You didn't even look over the side to see if I had surfaced! What if my lungs had filled with water and I had drowned? Don't you guys care?"

"Well you're full of hot air…pretty sure you'd just float to the surface." Sasuke muttered as he smoothed out a blanket.

Sakura laughed at Sasuke's statement. Naruto looked between the two, having not heard Sasuke's muttered response. "What? I'm not following…."

"That's because—" Sakura started to respond when they heard the door slide open. The three turned to face their client. He was a priest, travelling from the Land of Waves to the Leaf Village in order to do some sort of work there.

"Hello, was I interrupting something?" He asked, looking from Sakura, Sasuke, and the boxer-clad Naruto on the floor.

"No, no, it's alright." Sakura replied kindly, gesturing for him to come in. "You are Asano, the priest we'll be escorting?" When they had first arrived, they had been greeted by Asano's wife, who told them he had yet to return home at the time.

Asano nodded, stepping through the doorway. "Yes, I thank you for your services. Seems you ran into some trouble along the way though…." he stated, his eyes wandering from Naruto to his soaked clothing on the floor.

Naruto waved a hand in a flippant matter. "Oh you know, rogues, railing, vicious, uncaring teammates who don't care if you drown or not. It's the usual."

Sakura shook her head. "He's the braggart jokester of the group. I apologize; you can just ignore him on our journey."

"It's what we do all the time." Sasuke commented. Naruto shot him a glare and stuck out his tongue.

"Oh," Asano replied, "It's alright. You know," he looked towards Naruto again, "we have some clothing lines out back that you can hang your clothes on."

Naruto stood up. "Alright, I'll do that." He then gathered up his clothes and started heading towards the door.

Sakura stopped him by putting an arm in front of his path. "Naruto, you're a guest in his house."

"He offered." Naruto stated, perplexed as to why Sakura was stopping him.

"He has family here." Sakura continued, hoping he'd get the hint.

"And?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It's a polite way of telling you to put some pants on, Dobe. I don't think anyone else want to see you walking around in soaking wet boxers. We can hardly stand it ourselves."

Naruto turned towards his raven-haired companion and shook out his wet clothing, splattering Sasuke with droplets of water. Sasuke shot the blond an irritated look as Naruto responded, "I would. But this stuff is sooo uncomfortable when it's _wet_, Teme."

As Sasuke opened his mouth to make a comment about extra sets of clothing, Naruto turned and briskly walked out the door.

Asano stepped out of Naruto's way and then turned to give Sakura and Sasuke an awkward, concerned look. "I'm not sure if my daughter is home or not…."

As if on cue, down the hall they heard: "Oh, hello!" followed by a girl's voice calling, "Daddy! There's a weird guy in the house!"

Dead, awkward silence filled the room. Sakura then turned to Sasuke, trying to hold down the embarrassed flush of pink on her cheeks. "Sasuke…could you look in Naruto's bag for his nighttime pants or something…anything?"

"Don't worry little girl! I am the great Naruto! And I'm gonna be Hokage! Oh yeah, you don't really know what a Hokage is. The Hokage is like a superhero of sorts…so…I'm a superhero!"

"Mommy!"

…

"What in the world?" Came the voice of Asano's wife.

"Wha—no, no! It's not what it looks like! I'm—"

"Daddy!"

Sakura hid her face behind her hands, unable to turn towards Asano. "Sasuke…."

"I'm on it." Sasuke huffed, turning on his heel to head to and dig through Naruto's bag to find a pair of nightclothes.

That night, not many words were exchanged at the dinner table, and Naruto made sure not to sleep on the throbbing right side of his head after that.

'"'"'"'"

Sakura woke up a little while after the sun had risen. She stretched as she gazed out the window in her room that looked out to the ocean. She then wandered over to her backpack, pulling out her daily clothing and changing out of her pajamas. When she finished she walked back over to the window, opened it, stuck her head out, and took in the fresh morning air.

"I see you're up."

Sakura leapt and stifled a yelp as she whipped her head above to see Sasuke sitting on the roof above her window.

"S-Sasuke," Sakura stammered, trying to control the pitch of her voice so she didn't seem so startled, "you scared the hell out of me."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, glancing from her back down to the ocean, "sorry."

Sakura took in a deep breath, steadying her frantic nerves. "What are you doing up there?"

"Getting outside and away from Naruto's ceaseless and loud snoring," Sasuke answered.

"Oh," Sakura breathed as she began to catch hints of Naruto's snoring in the room the boys shared next to hers. "Well…mind if I join you?"

"Hn," Sasuke snorted, which Sakura took as an approval.

Not bothering to go all the way around and accidentally wake up anyone who may still have been sleeping besides Naruto, Sakura lifted herself up and out the window. She mostly shut the window, leaving it slightly cracked in case she had to go through it again, and then leapt up onto the roof. She landed next to Sasuke, taking another couple steps before she situated herself next to her teammate.

Sakura gazed forward at the sight. From her window she could see a piece of the ocean and the bridge, but up on the roof she saw much more. She could see boats harbored at a dock, and some in the ocean, set off on morning missions to catch fish. The sun sparkled off the surface of the water, giving everything an early morning golden hue. The scene was amazing, Sakura thought. She could understand why Sasuke would want to come up and watch it.

The two sat there in companionable silence for what felt like hours, watching the sun slowly rise higher and higher into the sky, and the sky turn into the light blue of the day. It was a truly relaxing and beautiful thing in retrospect to what they would typically get on a morning in the Leaf Village with a sunrise delayed slightly by the walls, taking away that affect that sunrise had, and no vast ocean for the rays to shine off of. It made Sakura want to fall back asleep, yet at the same time she wanted to stay alert and awake to take in all the details of the sunrise.

Suddenly, Sasuke shifted his position, leaning on his right arm and tilting closer to Sakura in this motion. Their shoulders almost touched, and the silent spell of the scene seemed to break for Sakura as she realized this. She was close enough that she could feel the warmth that radiated from his body, and she could smell him; it was similar to the scent she remembered him having back when they were all younger, but it had changed slightly, probably due to his maturing.

She also couldn't help but notice what the sunlight did to his appearance. His dark, sharp features stood out in bold contrast to the lightness around them, but at the same time the whole thing seemed to fit like a picture drawn by a master artist.

These thoughts stirred something inside of Sakura. She thought she recognized it, it was similar to the feelings she got back when she would openly admit her love for him. Being away from him for so long, she hadn't felt it in a while. The feelings felt different, matured, not really changed, but evolved.

"_Could it be," _Sakura thought, _"that even after years of being separated, after years of hearing only the negative things Sasuke had done while he was gone…that I'm still in love with him?"_

"What?" Sasuke abruptly asked, entirely shattering their silent bonding.

Sakura seemed to snap out of a trance, and she pulled back, not even realizing she had leaned towards the Uchiha in the first place. "Hm?" She hummed.

"You've been staring at me for a while." Sasuke stated, tearing his eyes away from the sunrise to look at Sakura sideways. "Is something up?"

Sakura blinked, and then looked away, slightly embarrassed to have been caught doing something she didn't even know she had been doing.

"_Then again," _she thought bashfully, _"it's hard not to look at someone when you're comparing their features to the background…oh, pull yourself together!" _

"No…nothing's wrong." Sakura answered. "I just sorta…spaced out. I didn't mean…uh…."

Sasuke huffed, and then stood. "It's fine. Let's head inside. Everyone's probably up by now."

Sakura stared at the Uchiha as he spoke, and then nodded her head, standing up and jumping down to the ground as he did. Sasuke immediately began to walk towards the door, leaving Sakura standing there for a moment, watching him.

Sakura watched his back as he walked, smiled, and then moved to catch up with him.

"_It is possible…after all…I've never felt this way about anyone other than him…."_

'"'"'"'"

"Where did you guys disappear to this morning?" Naruto questioned as they left Asano's home. They were finally heading out towards the Leaf Village with Asano. "I mean…I woke up and wasn't so surprised to see the Teme had left, but then I looked in your room, Sakura, and I couldn't find you!"

Sakura glanced over at Sasuke for a moment, seeing no harm in telling the blond where they had gone. "We were just on the roof."

"Just on the roof?" Naruto echoed, and then suddenly his mouth split into a grin. "What were you guys _doing _on the roof?"

Sakura's brow twitched, knowing where his mind was headed after so many years training under Jiraiya. "We were just sitting. Looking at the ocean, the sun rising; killing time."

Naruto glanced from Sakura to Sasuke. "Alright then."

Sasuke looked over to the blond, who had turned and started to chat with Asano. The Dobe, he thought, had been making a lot of accusations about him and Sakura lately. He knew Naruto loved to tease and joke around, but it did slightly confuse him. Back when they were Genin it was apparent that Naruto had had a crush on Sakura. It made him wonder why Naruto would be teasing them if he had wanted Sakura's affection back then.

Sasuke let out a short breath, deciding not to ponder it further. It was quite possible the blond had just gotten over their pink-haired teammate.

Thinking of Sakura, he then snuck a glance in her direction. Sakura walked about two steps ahead of him, leading the four of them through the paths to get through the town and down to the bridge. She paid no attention to the three of them at the moment, focusing only on the directions.

He remembered briefly then, how Sakura used to fangirl over him like many other girls back when he was younger. Over their time together as Genin he had noticed it stabilizing into something more mature, which she had admitted to him the day he left to be love. He had no idea if she still loved him as she said she did after his years of being gone.

Seeing the bridge come into sight, Sasuke decided to forget about it for the time being. Their current priority was to get Asano safely to their village. Once they got on the bridge, the real mission would begin.

**Well, kinda cutting it off here. Chapter six is done! Yay! Seems I am back to my writing capabilities. Only took almost two days of my three day weekend to get to it. Sigh…three day weekends are like…blessings and curses. Blessing because woo-hoo! No school for three days! Curses…because then not only is your internal clock thrown off and you suddenly start thinking it's Monday when it's Tuesday, but you're tired as hell after having just gotten used to being able to sleep in really well again! But anyway…my three day weekend will be looong over by the time I get this chapter out. (Or at least it sure will feel like that…this'll probably be posted within a week…tomorrow I should be posting chapter four of this story.) But anyway, enough of me ranting. Hope you all enjoyed! More coming soon! **


	7. A Feeling of Peace

**Chapter Seven- A Feeling of Peace**

"Sooo…" Naruto drawled, "You're a priest?"

Asano nodded. "Yes, I'm pretty well-respected in the Land of Waves, which is why the Leaf Village would like me to come down."

"So are we gonna be the ones taking you back home, too?"

Asano shrugged. "I'm not sure. I don't know how long I'll be staying."

Naruto thought for a moment. "…So…a priest."

"You already said that, Naruto." Sakura huffed, crossing her arms as she walked.

"I know, I know! I just…" Naruto stepped from side to side around Asano, "I don't know…I can't think of much to say…."

"That's rare." Sasuke muttered.

Sakura smiled lightly, having heard Sasuke. "Well, you don't need to be talking to him all the time. I'd be nice if you didn't say anything for a few hours."

"But then it's all quiet…and there's not much to say to you guys either…Teme being anti-social and you know…Sasuke."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke questioned as Naruto snapped his fingers.

"Oh, I know!" Naruto looked over to Asano once more, having been walking backwards to look at the three of them as he spoke. "Well…you're a priest, and I'm a sage! What's the whole hierarchy between them? Do you outrank me or something?"

"Um…I'm not all that sure." Asano replied. "Priests and sages sort of have different jobs. Whereas I may deal with an alleged spirit in a home, you may be more for giving wisdom for those with troubles."

"Naruto? Give wisdom?" Sakura echoed, a sarcastic disbelief in her voice. "He can hardly solve his own problems, let alone help someone else who's like…struggling through a divorce or something."

"Hey, I can be wise! I mean, who else would you turn to if you want to know where to get the best ramen!" Naruto retorted, and puffed his chest proudly.

"I'm pretty sure Sakura was referring to a kind of spiritual wisdom." Sasuke stated, looking bored from the whole ordeal. "You can ask anyone where to get good ramen. And actually, after a chat with you, they'd probably end up more confused than when they got there."

Naruto scoffed. "Whatever, Teme. No one asked you."

"Rail," Sasuke declared, causing Naruto to stop dead in his tracks and whip around.

"Where? Wait…hey! Teme! Very funny!"

"Oh, let's not get Naruto all paranoid." Sakura laughed. "He'll end up getting himself killed…."

"Yeah Teme! Quick picking on me you jerk!"

Sasuke didn't say anything; in fact, he had probably stopped paying attention after he had finished speaking. He simply stared ahead, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

Naruto stared at him for a moment, and then huffed, knowing he wasn't going to get anything from the Uchiha.

"So…a priest."

'"'"'"'"

Everyone sat gathered around a fire, night had fallen, and they were still a while off from the village.

Naruto laid down, picking up a leaf and twirling it around in his fingers above him. "Man…this is what we live for. Quiet nights outside, on a mission, just relaxing for a while…."

Sakura hummed her approval, leaned against a tree trunk with a book open in front of her. "But it's not all fun and games…we're still on a B-ranked mission. Someone will have to keep watch tonight."

Naruto kept his eyes on the leaf as he yawned. "Not me…I'm tired. Why not make Teme do it? We can test his trust that way like Granny Tsunade wants us to."

Sasuke grunted. "You still think I'm untrustworthy?"

Naruto stopped twirling the leaf for a moment to roll his eyes. "Yes, Teme, the whole village is going to put a hundred percent of their trust in you immediately after all the crap you pulled over the years."

Sakura gave Naruto a quick sharp look before she looked towards Sasuke. "I think what Naruto means is that well…of course we trust you, we're your best friends…but the village doesn't yet, so it'd be better to give you something with which to defend your trustworthiness."

"Yeah, what Sakura said." Naruto nodded. "Go earn your brownie points."

"Hn," Sasuke grumbled, and then a moment later stood up and moved over to a place just on the edge of their campsite.

"What, no kiss goodnight?" Naruto chuckled sarcastically.

Sasuke turned his head to give Naruto a "what the hell is your problem?" look for a moment, and then turned his head towards the forest.

"I meant for Sakura!" Naruto piped. "Ow! Sakura!"

Sakura huffed, having just thrown her book at the blond. She then stood to retrieve it. "I'd be careful what you say, Naruto. It'll get you in a coma one of these days."

"Or get my brain skewered by a dictionary." Naruto commented as he rubbed his head, and then he grinned. "And yet…I persist."

Sakura rolled her eyes at Naruto, and then as she turned she brought a hand to her face, it felt hot. She took a deep breath, trying to beat down the blush on her cheeks.

"_Damn mental images…." _Sakura groaned mentally, and then quickly turned to start heading towards her tent.

"I'm heading in. Good night everyone." Sakura called.

"Good night!" Naruto responded.

Sasuke said nothing, or he did, but Sakura couldn't hear it. She slipped silently into her tent for the night.

'"'"'"'"

People disappearing. Silence…. Not turning back. Calls that only seem to fall on deaf ears as backs retreat farther away. Falling. Falling into emptiness. Darkness engulfing…then nothingness….

Sakura lurched from her sleep, bolt upright. Her breathing was ragged, and she could feel a trickle of cold sweat.

Sakura grasped at her blankets, bringing her knees up and resting her arms on them as she controlled her breathing. This wasn't something unusual for her. She'd had the dream before, but she could never hold down the fear that struck her like a hard blow.

Nightmares like that had been plaguing her at random intervals for a long time. When she thought back, she could trace the dreams back to the day after Sasuke left the village years ago, and worsening a little after Naruto had left a few months later. She knew those events were the cause of the dreams. They fed on the lonely feelings she had when the two had left her alone in the village, both of them off on their own adventures while she stayed in Konoha.

Naruto's return two and half years later, she thought, had definitely helped to lighten the nightmares, knowing she wasn't alone anymore. But now Sasuke was back too, she thought, they were both with her now, so why should she still be having the nightmares?

Sakura took a deep breath, reaching into her pack and pulling out a water bottle. She took a drink, calming her down. She then looked towards the entrance to her tent. Clambering forward, she pushed the flap open, greeted by the open darkness of the campsite. She crawled out of the tent and stood up; the cool night air having a good effect on her.

Sakura glanced around a bit, her eyes starting to adjust to the dark. She could see the boys' tent, the ashes from their campfire, and the outlines of the trees surrounding them. Then she picked up a little spot of color.

"_Sasuke," _she thought, _"he's still on watch…."_

Making a few light noises as she walked to alert Sasuke that she was approaching, she found her way over to the log Sasuke had sat himself down on.

Sasuke looked up when she reached him, nodding slightly in acknowledgment and invitation to sit down, and then turned his attention back towards the woods.

Sakura took a seat by him. "Aren't you tired yet?"

Sasuke didn't really respond, but he blinked a little tiredly.

"I could take over the watch you know…I don't think I'll be sleeping any time soon…." Sakura stated, thinking back to her nightmare.

"Why not?" Sasuke asked.

"Huh?" Sakura stammered, glancing at Sasuke from the corner of her eye.

"Why won't you be going back to sleep?" Sasuke rephrased.

"Oh…well…I just…don't feel very tired anymore." She didn't really know if Sasuke would be able to understand her nightmare, or even care to sympathize with her. Besides, she thought, she'd rather not annoy him with it.

Sasuke looked at her, his eyes well adjusted to the dark; he could see her very clearly. Something about her seemed a little off, something about the tone of her voice when she answered, the look she had in her eyes; they all set off little flags in Sasuke's head that something happened.

"_She probably had a bad dream…." _Sasuke thought, _"That's why she doesn't want to go back to sleep." _

Sasuke shifted his attention back to the woods ahead. The past few hours had been a real bore. He didn't think anyone was going to appear tonight. They were on a B-ranked mission, he admitted, but he couldn't think of anyone who would want to take down a humble priest like Asano.

Sakura drew her legs up onto the log, wrapping her arms around them to keep them close to her body.

"Sorry if I'm…bothering you or anything…." Sakura muttered apologetically.

Sasuke glanced at Sakura. "No…it's okay. Keeping watch is boring anyway."

"Well…like I said, I could take watch if you'd like. I'm sure you're tired."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted; Sakura couldn't decipher if that was an approval or not.

Silence fell between them for a while. Sakura kept her gaze on a patch of grass on the ground. Internally she smiled; Sasuke's presence was doing her a lot of good. Something about him calmed her down from the state her nightmare had left her in, and for the moment the emptiness that nightmare fed off of seemed to be gone. Sasuke was there, Naruto was also there asleep in his tent, and they were all together.

Sakura dropped her legs back down to the ground and opened her mouth to say something, but when she looked over at Sasuke she saw his eyes were closed. She shut her mouth and watched him for a moment. His breathing fell to a constant rate, and his head drooped slightly. He had fallen asleep.

Sakura smiled sweetly seeing Sasuke sleeping, looking so peaceful. In her mind, she could see Sasuke from this morning, standing out so perfectly with the contrast of the sunrise.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened. Sasuke tilted to the side, his head falling perfectly onto Sakura's shoulder. Sakura's breath caught for a moment as Sasuke muttered lightly.

"_Good night." _

Sakura gazed at the Uchiha, a little unbelieving. She then sighed softly as she carefully lowered her head down to rest on top of his. Her eyes dropped slightly as her heart fluttered happily, knowing now that she wasn't alone, and that somehow Sasuke, through everything that had happened, had indeed managed to worm his way back into their life. They too, she thought, had managed to become a part of his life once more as well.

With those thoughts, Sakura slowly drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

'"'"'"'"

Naruto opened his mouth and let loose a deep yawn as he stretched an arm into the air. He hazily looked around; Asano slept peacefully next to him, but the place set up for Sasuke seemed to be untouched.

Naruto blinked, Sasuke couldn't have stayed up the entire night to keep watch, he thought. He'd be totally exhausted by now, which would be bad news if anything were to happen today on their way home like with the rogues from a few days ago.

Moving a little sluggishly, Naruto crawled out of his little bed and then poked his head out of the tent.

The sight Naruto found made a wide grin form on the blonds face. He took in the sight, Sasuke and Sakura perched together on a log, Sasuke's head on Sakura's shoulder as her head rested on top of his. Both of them seemed to be asleep if the even movement of their shoulders were any indication.

Naruto emerged fully from the tent and crept his way across the campsite over to the two sleeping ninjas. A devious grin plastered to his face as he formulated a plan to have a little fun with the opportunity.

Peeping his head around to see that the two of them were in fact asleep, Naruto decided to do the one thing he could as their best friend: he slowly began to whistle the tune to "Here Comes the Bride."

The sudden noise jarred the two from their sleep. They shifted slightly, moving away a little slowly from each other as they turned towards their blond friend who continued to whistle his tune.

A moment later the tune he played seemed to sink in for the two, as Sakura's face reddened and Sasuke looked highly annoyed.

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. "Cut it out!"

Naruto laughed, ending his song. "I just had to!"

"Dobe," Sasuke muttered, standing up.

Sakura watched Sasuke stand up, and then moved to stand up as well. She felt slightly embarrassed, not for the tune Naruto played, but for having fallen asleep with Sasuke like that. She had offered to keep watch and not two minutes later she had fallen asleep herself. She counted herself lucky that nothing had happened over the night.

The three of them silently moved over to the middle of the camp where their fire had been. Sasuke left for a moment to retrieve the food they had put into his bag, and when he returned the three resigned themselves to a silent breakfast. Naruto only decided not to speak for fear it would trigger the violent feelings Sasuke and Sakura probably felt towards him for his antics at the moment.

Asano came out when they were about half way through their breakfast.

"Oh, it seems I'm the one who slept in…." Asano chuckled as he was handed some prepared breakfast.

Once again silence fell as Asano took a seat. No one really seemed to have anything to say, or they didn't want to trigger a reaction that could lead into something.

Finally, Sakura broke the tension. "We're probably about a few hours walk from the village now. We should be there by noon if nothing goes wrong."

Sasuke nodded. "I think so…."

Naruto scraped the bottom of his dish for the last of his breakfast for a moment, and then stood up. "Right then! So let's get ready to move!"

Deciding to actually listen to Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura finished the last of their breakfasts, and then stood to help Naruto in cleaning up the camp while Asano continued to eat his meal.

Sasuke and Naruto stood together, working on the tent the boys had slept in. Sakura was a little while off working on gathering up the things inside of her own tent.

"So what was with last night?" Naruto asked a little curiously.

Sasuke gave Naruto a questioning look before he realized what the blond meant. He averted his gaze back to his task. "We fell asleep."

"Well, yeah, obviously, but why was Sakura out there?"

"She had offered to take over watch."

"But I mean, why were you guys like…leaned against each other like a couple or something?"

Sasuke gave Naruto a sharp look. "Why are you so interested to know?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wait, are you guys—?"

"No, you Dobe." Sasuke hissed, glancing over in Sakura's direction for a moment. She didn't seem to notice them. "It just happened. That's all."

"Seems more like you guys were getting real chummy." Naruto grinned.

"You don't know anything, Dobe. And why…?" Sasuke stopped himself.

"Why what?" Naruto questioned.

"Nothing…just keep packing."

"Oh come on! What is it?"

Sasuke said nothing and continued to work on taking down the tent. He was going to ask Naruto about why he was always teasing him and Sakura like they were a couple when he used to like her, but he'd probably only get hell for it.

Everyone soon finished their packing, and they were quickly on their way to the Leaf Village.

An hour after they had left their campsite, they were heading through a particularly dense area of forest when they caught a trace of something coming.

The three of them froze, they could all sense it, someone was headed towards them. Their chakra was strong, and they didn't bother to conceal it. For a moment this made them think that maybe some ninja from somewhere else was on their own mission, but they still took precaution, huddling Asano behind them in a triangle formation.

"Can you sense where they're coming from?" Naruto murmured, his hand looming close to his kunai pack.

Sakura nodded her head. "Whoever he is, he's coming in my direction."

Dead silence filled the forest as the three waited anxiously for whoever was coming to appear.

The next thing that happened was so sudden they hardly had time to react. Something that looked like a ray of light burst through the thick trees, and a moment later Sakura fell to the ground, unconscious.

**Oh noes! A cliffhanger! You poor readers! Hahah…time for the real action of this part of the story! Everything before was just cutesy mission-like stuff. Back to the ninja action fun that is a battle! And now for a hopefully happy announcement in that now I'm going to start disregarding my average chapter lengths, and just write till I go "now's a good place to stop." May be at an average chapter size, may be at 3000 words, may even only reach a bit into 1000. (Well, no, if it's only at 1000 I will try to either beef it up or keep going…I've gotten past writing those tiny chapters.) But anyway…for people reading this as the up-to-date chapter…wait for an update! For people reading this at a later time where there are more chapters…least you don't have this cliffhanger to deal with! (Because of course there will be more in the future.) Till then readers! **


	8. Stall

**Chapter Eight- Stall**

When Sakura dropped to the floor, for a moment Naruto and Sasuke were too shocked to even react. When things really did start setting in, they realized how bad the situation had just become. Their medic was gone for the time being, as well as their analytical member who could have helped them pinpoint where their attacker was.

Seeing Sakura laying there unconscious also sent a roiling mixture of emotions through Sasuke. He was shocked, worried, angered, and he also felt another emotion: fear. He had no idea who it was that had taken Sakura down, he had no idea about her condition, if the attack had injured her in any way, but he knew he couldn't go down to her, that would leave Asano vulnerable on two sides.

Fighting down his feelings, he shifted slightly in an inclination to Naruto, who seemed just as fazed as he was.

"Pull it together…summon clones, protect Asano. I'll get Sakura out of danger." Sasuke murmured.

"We don't know exactly where the guys coming from…and you'll be open. You could just be delivering her to this guy for all we know." Naruto responded in a low voice.

Sasuke turned his head to scan the area for their attacker, frustrated. He knew Naruto was right. This person, whoever they were and wherever they were, had really caught them perfectly; it was almost like he knew exactly where to strike.

Sasuke grit his teeth. "Summon three. Two to cover me and Sakura's positions, and one to cover me, I'll take Sakura to a safe spot the clone could guard, and when I get back we'll take this guy down."

"Okay…but we'll need to be quick." Naruto replied in a whisper. "The second my hands start moving I bet he'll strike."

Sasuke bent his knees slightly, prepared to quickly scoop up Sakura and run. "I know…."

"Asano," Naruto muttered, "whatever you do," his muscles tensed, "don't move."

As soon as Naruto finished speaking his hands moved fast, making the shadow clone hand sign as Sasuke reacted just as swiftly, going down, scooping up Sakura, and pushing off as hard as he could into the forest opposite the direction the bolt of light he saw came through the trees.

Behind him, he heard three pops as Naruto's clones appeared, one, he sensed, quickly followed after him, the other two scrambled to cover his and Sakura's open positions.

Sasuke's eyes scanned the ground rapidly, looking for anything, a hole in a tree, some bushy shrubs, anything that could hide Sakura till she woke up.

Below him he spotted an overgrown bush wrapping around a tree. It would provide good cover. He dropped, landing in front of the plants. Behind him he could hear Naruto's clone land.

He turned to acknowledge the clone, who stood patiently, knowing the situation. Sasuke then got down and pushed some of the branches and leaves away till he came into a little opening between the bush and the tree. He laid Sakura down in the covering first before he quickly wormed his way halfway in.

Sasuke looked down at the kunoichi, she was breathing, which lightened the stress Sasuke felt over the situation, and she didn't seem to be bleeding at all, but something caught his eye. Reaching forward, Sasuke pushed aside Sakura's collar and slightly unzipped her shirt. He found a mark, and he recognized the patterns and color of the wound to be something a lightning attack could do.

"That explains it…" Sasuke muttered, "The light we saw was electricity that the guy must have shot at her…."

Suddenly Sasuke's eyes softened as he lightly traced the mark from the lighting attack down a little to where her heart lay. When his fingers reached her heart he sighed with relief.

"Intentionally or not…any lower…and she could have been killed in one shot."

As Sasuke spoke, something in his mind started to connect, but it was interrupted when from behind him he heard a sound that sent him on high alert. Naruto's clone had just disappeared…it was beaten.

Sasuke whipped his head around, and where the clone stood now there stood a man. The headband on his arm told Sasuke that he was a rogue from the Rain Village.

The rogue mentioned was a large man, easily taller than Sasuke, and wired with muscles while still maintaining a slim figure. He radiated an immense amount of chakra, and the arrogant, sneering look on his face told Sasuke he knew of and was proud of his strong power.

The man grinned confidently. "Well, well, who do we have here? A boy and some poor little girl? You two look no better than that blond kid; after all, he doesn't even seem to realize what he's probably facing right now is a clone."

Sasuke huffed internally; it would explain why this man had gotten to them without having encountered trouble from Naruto.

"Who are you?" Sasuke questioned icily.

The man scoffed. "Me? You mean you haven't heard? I'm a demon of the rain, classified on a ranking of someone like say…Zabuza Momochi."

Sasuke muscles twitched hearing Zabuza's name, but then he smirked. If this man really was Zabuza's level, then he had no doubt that with the power he possessed now in comparison to Kakashi's back then, he should be able to take the guy down no sweat.

"Really?" Sasuke declared. "And do you know who I am?"

The man scoffed, his hand wandering over a short sword on his side. "Do I care? After all…I'm just going to kill you guys…and Asano as well."

"You would think so…but you're comparing us the wrong way."

The man seemed perplexed for a moment, but a second later his same, arrogant smile appeared. "Well, aren't you all high-and-mighty? Fine then…" his hand grasped the handle of his sword. "Then remember in heaven…"

He suddenly disappeared. A second later he reappeared in front of Sasuke, his sword raised to strike.

"Remember in heaven how you were killed by Kyoka Shiba!" He exclaimed as he swept the sword down.

Sasuke knew as soon as Kyoka appeared in front of him that he wouldn't be able to dodge or else Sakura would be left wide open, so he had to act fast and correctly. As Kyoka swung down his blade, Sasuke sprang backwards, he arched himself, just skimming over Sakura's body, and as soon as his feet touched solid ground his hands lashed out, grabbing Sakura and pulling her farther into the safety of the bush.

"Don't think that's going to work well for you boy." Kyoka declared.

Through the leaves, Sasuke could just see Kyoka, and what he was doing sent Sasuke into high alert. His hands weaved into a series of symbols he knew well.

Kyoka lifted a hand to his mouth. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

With a great leap, Sasuke launched himself and Sakura into the air to the tree branches above as flames engulfed the bush they had been in.

"_Shit," _Sasuke thought as he landed in a high up branch in a nearby tree, _"he knows fire style jutsus as well…this could be really bad…he has both of the elements I have." _

As Sasuke finished his thoughts, he looked down at Sakura's unconscious form in his arms.

"_And to top it off…I have to keep her safe as well. Damn it…."_

Glancing down at Kyoka, who stood at the base of the tree sneering up at him, Sasuke shifted Sakura in his arms so his legs would hold her up while his hands were free. He made the necessary symbols, and a moment later a clone sat next to him.

Handing his clone Sakura's body, he told it to go to Naruto, tell him the person he was fighting is a clone, and to take him down fast to come help him out over here with the real guy.

Sasuke's clone nodded, and then quickly leapt off with Sakura. Sasuke then stood, feeling better that he left Sakura in his clones hands rather than carrying her himself. Now he could finish this guy easily.

Kyoka below grinned. "Awe, protecting the little girl? If she's of no use you shouldn't even bother."

Sasuke glared down at the rogue. Now he was really ready to show him who was the tougher man. He jumped down and landed a while off behind Kyoka, who turned to face him as he landed.

Sasuke stared at him. He didn't really think he was Sharingan worthy; besides, he thought, with what the Sharingan had been doing to his eyesight lately, it was better to use it sparingly.

With that thought in mind, Sasuke drew his sword. He had a regular sized katana while Kyoka had a short sword. Already, Sasuke thought, he had the advantage of a farther reach.

Sasuke lunged at Kyoka, his sword ready. Kyoka met his attack, lurching forward, their swords clashed, and then the two flew back, skidding across the ground in the process.

"_Well, if he is anything like Zabuza," _Sasuke thought, _"then I may have to wait till Naruto gets over here to take him down…we'll need to catch him from two sides in order to bring him down."_

Kyoka ran his fingers along the blunt side of his sword. "What are you doing? Coming up with a strategy? Tch, like it'll matter. You'll be beaten no matter what you do."

Sasuke let out a sharp breath, the man's ego was really starting to get on his nerves.

"_I'd rather not waste time…but it looks like for now I'll have to stall him." _

Bringing his sword in front of him in a ready stance, Sasuke stared down the ninja in front of him. Kyoka knew what he was about to do, and readied his sword. The two stood frozen for a moment, waiting for the other to do something, for one of them to make the first move.

"_This should buy us enough time…hurry up, Naruto."_

In the next instant, the two lurched forward, their swords clashed once, they brought them back, then forward, they clashed a second time, a third time, and then they parted again. Sasuke's stalling sword fight had commenced.

Meanwhile with Naruto, he had been catching glimpses of, and exchanging arsenals of weaponry with Kyoka's clone the whole time. Because he had never been able to really touch him, Naruto was still none the wiser that what he fought was a clone. At the same time he had out three clones, all of them surrounded Asano, keeping watch for if any of the weapons that were being thrown came towards them.

Suddenly, from out of the trees, something came out from behind him. Naruto whipped around, a kunai ready, but he quickly froze recognizing Sasuke with Sakura's limp form in his arms.

"Sasuke!" Naruto declared. "What are you doing?! You're supposed to have hidden her! This guy's still here!"

"No he's not." Sasuke's clone responded. "You're fighting a clone. The real me is fighting the real guy."

"The real…" Naruto echoed before he caught a rustle from behind him and jumped as shuriken struck the ground he once stood on.

Naruto landed a little closer to Sakura and Sasuke's clone.

"Well if that's the case, it would explain why you, er, the Teme took so long, and why this guy won't come out." Naruto stated as he threw the kunai he had been holding into the trees where the shuriken had most likely come from. He heard nothing, and knew the rogue had already moved.

Sasuke's clone nodded. "Hurry up, and then quickly get over to where Sasuke and the real guy is."

"Don't need to tell me twice." Naruto then grinned. "Well, if he wants to play that way, I'll just bring out my own clones!"

Naruto made his shadow clone hand sign, and then he was surrounded by a whole barrage of clones.

Naruto raised a hand into the air. "Alright troops! Let's fish this clone out!"

"Right!" They all exclaimed, and then they all leapt into the air and into the trees.

Naruto turned to Sasuke's clone. He looked down at Sakura's still unconscious form.

"Sasuke found," his clone stated, "that she was struck by a lightning attack. That's what knocked her out."

Naruto nodded, understanding. "So he's a lightning user."

"And a fire user apparently."

"Heh, sounds like Sasuke's fighting his match then…I'll get there soon, my wind attacks will take down those lightning attacks. Once this guy's done with, you wait here with Sakura, got it?"

"Since when did you become the leader?" Sasuke's clone scoffed.

Naruto huffed defiantly. "Hey! You're just a clone! So shut up and listen to me damn it! Take care of Sakura! That's what I'm saying Teme-clone!"

Sasuke's clone looked ready to say something, but then about four of Naruto's clones came down from the trees with triumphant grins on all of their faces.

"All taken care of!" They all exclaimed.

Naruto turned and grinned with the same enthusiasm as his clones. "Alright! Good work troops! Now let's go help out the real Teme!"

His clones nodded, and then in an instant they all disappeared in puffs of smoke.

Naruto looked towards Sasuke's clone, and then down at Sakura.

"Don't worry," Sasuke's clone announced, "I'll take care of her. That's why I was summoned."

Naruto nodded. "Right." He then turned to look towards Asano, who was still being protected by the same three clones. "You all just wait here! I'll go help out the real Teme with the rogue!" He then leapt into the trees towards where he could sense Sasuke's chakra.

Naruto didn't have to go too far in order to find Sasuke, and when he did find him he quickly fell back, hiding in the trees so as not to attract attention. If there was one thing he had learned from years of experience, it was not to burst out as soon as you got there. Wait for an opening, he was repeatedly told, and then attack.

Sasuke had been sword fighting with Kyoka the entire time his clone had been gone with Naruto. So far they had both managed to land a few blows on each other, but they were only a few scrapes.

Sasuke had sensed it when Naruto had come, and he knew he had hidden himself in the trees, waiting for an opportunity to strike. It didn't appear, he thought, that Kyoka had taken much notice of Naruto's arrival. He seemed to be more focused on their little duel, either that or through that arrogant personality of his he hadn't even taken notice of the blond.

In a swift motion, Sasuke made a diagonal slash. Kyoka noticed the motion, and raised his sword to block, but he was a little slow, and Sasuke's sword sliced across his arm. The Rain Village headband on his arm fell to the ground, and his arm now sported a streak of running, red blood. Sasuke then pulled back a few meters from the man.

Kyoka looked down at his new wound, and then looked up towards Sasuke. "You're really not that bad. But…" his fingers slid across the blade of his sword, wiping off the traces of Sasuke's blood that were caught on it, "I bet you could do better."

Sasuke felt his muscles twitch. He knew he could do better, if he were really trying, he knew he could take out the man in a second, but that would require calling on his darker side, the side of himself that he's been trying to abandon since he decided to come back to the Leaf Village. If he were to call on it now, he thought, and display that black side of him, he would risk losing the trust he was building back between he and his teammates. He didn't want them to see him unleash that cold, murderous side of him he acquired from years of training under Orochimaru.

With that thought, he remembered his reasons for leaving the village in the first place. He left with the intention to gain that cold, murderous side of him in order to get power. He knew now how wrong it was to have done so, which was why he didn't want his teammates to see that side of him. He now wished to gain power the way they had: through bonds.

Seeing that Sasuke had fallen into a trance-like state of thought, Naruto considered coming forward now while there was a pause. He'd be able to catch Kyoka by surprise this way.

However, Kyoka had other plans. He too had noticed Sasuke slip into his thoughts, and with a malicious grin, he suddenly disappeared.

Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Kyoka disappear, and immediately he readied his sword to block an attack from behind where he expected him to go.

"Argh!!"

That cry made Sasuke whip back around in an almost frantic way. His eyes widened considerably as from the trees he saw Naruto falling, a trail of blood spurted from his back, following him on his trip down. Naruto's mouth hung open and his eyes were widened in surprise and pain at the sneak attack from Kyoka. He hit the ground hard as from above Kyoka let out a menacing laugh from the branch Naruto had been perched on.

Sasuke stared at Naruto's body sprawled helplessly across the ground. Kyoka's laugh rang through the forest. "You thought I hadn't noticed, boy? Of course I did! Haha! What a weakling! To have been caught so easily!"

Sasuke continued to stare at Naruto. He just saw the blonds hand twitch, he was still conscious. Then, Naruto slowly lifted his head to look towards Sasuke.

"Teme…." Naruto muttered, seeing the Uchiha standing there frozen. His head dropped back to the ground. "Don't lose…."

Sasuke snapped back to normal at Naruto's words. He shifted his gaze from the blond up to Kyoka. Flashes of when the bolt of lightning had come down and struck Sakura played through his head.

Now he had had enough of stalling. He was going take Kyoka down.

**Dun-dun-duuunnn! And the fight goes on! Hm, I noticed something…I am using a lot of character names from Bleach to name some of these people…. I mean, the priest Asano from Keigo Asano, Kyoka is actually the beginning of Aizen's zapakuto's name Kyoka Suigetsu. Shiba, which I used as Kyoka's last name, is taken from Kaien Shiba. (And also I realized later that in "Bond and Conquer" I named a guy Renji…that time I did it subconsciously….) So maybe I should say…along with Naruto, I do not own Bleach! I am just using some of the names for my own characters! I mean…there are other people I'll have to come up with for this story…next thing you know someone's gonna be named Shinji! I dunno…I use their names because I can't think of any other Japanese names that I didn't already use…so forgive me! I'm trying to stay kinda subtle…I mean, I won't go naming a character Ichigo or something…I'm just using some names from characters that could be anyone. (Besides the Renji thing, again, a subconscious thing….) But anyway, till the next chapter! **


	9. Surprise Attacks

**Chapter Nine- Surprise Attacks**

When Naruto had first seen Kyoka disappear, he expected that he would appear behind Sasuke, in which case he'd probably have to wait a little longer before he could make an effective entrance. He was unprepared, though, when he suddenly found himself to be the target of Kyoka's attack rather than Sasuke.

He could only catch a glimpse of the ninja before the effects of Kyoka's attack sent him tumbling forward. At first he hadn't really known what had hit him, but as soon as he hit the ground he knew what had occurred. Kyoka had slashed his sword right across his back, sending waves of pain through his body as he laid there.

At a moment when the pain didn't feel so bad, Naruto lifted his head and saw Sasuke. He seemed to be completely frozen over. Summoning his voice, he called out to him. "Teme…" the pain quickly began to return, he couldn't keep his head up anymore. "Don't lose…" was the last thing he could manage before pain overtook him. Kyoka must have hit him pretty good, not only causing him pain, but paralyzing him so he didn't have the strength to move.

Inside he cursed. He had become useless. He couldn't stand and fight. Sasuke would be left to take on the rogue all by himself. Sasuke stalled for so long waiting for him and then he could do nothing. All that work, he thought, towards getting stronger, but when it came down to it, he had been defeated so easily in one attack.

Then he thought of Sakura, unconscious with Sasuke's clone. At least, he thought, she was safe for the time being. If Sasuke could just beat that rogue and get Sakura to wake up, then she could heal him and they'd be alright. They could continue on their way as if nothing had happened.

But what if Sasuke lost? A voice in Naruto's head asked. The thought made him clench his fist. If Sasuke lost, then they'd all be dead. Asano would be killed, and even if any of them survived, it's impossible to say how the end would go. Their mission would have failed, Sasuke, if he lived, would be deemed untrustworthy, and everything they'd done up till then would have been for nothing.

"_No," _Naruto thought defiantly, _"don't _even _think like that! Sasuke will win! He's strong! He'll beat this guy and everything will be alright!"_

With that thought, Naruto's body relaxed slightly, taking away some of the pain he felt. His eyes began to slide shut.

"_Sasuke…we're counting on you…."_

With Sasuke, he had finally snapped back to his senses, and now all his attention was targeted on Kyoka. Electricity began to gather in Sasuke's blade, he planned to hit Kyoka with a paralyzing blow, and then he could take care of him easily.

Kyoka sneered. "Are you angry? Enraged? Thinking you're going to rip me to shreds now? Ha! I'd like to see you try boy!"

Sasuke's grip on his sword tightened, but it quickly released.

"_Don't get angry." _He told himself. _"If you get angry, your thoughts will be clouded and you could make a fatal mistake." _His mind flicked towards Sakura and Naruto. He slightly re-gripped his blade. _"And in a situation like this…any mistake can be a fatal one for all of us. They're all counting on me, and I can't let them down."_

A moment later Sasuke launched himself towards the rogue as fast he could, hoping he could slide right through his defenses and get him with his electricity-charged blow. He pulled back his sword, preparing to swing it. When he came within four feet of Kyoka, he swung his blade forward.

Clang!

For some reason, Sasuke thought, his hand felt empty, he glanced to the side. His sword was gone. When he looked up he saw it twirling through the air above and behind him. Soaring farther and farther up, and then falling to the ground. It landed helplessly in a bush a while off from him.

His eyes landed on Kyoka, who grinned in a maliciously triumphant way. Sasuke then felt something sliding, sliding out of him. A moment later his brain understood, and the nerves surrounding the left side of his abdomen screamed in pain as Kyoka removed his sword from him.

Sasuke let out a choked cry of pain, tasting some blood in his mouth, his left leg gave out for a moment and he dropped onto his knee. Kyoka let out a laugh from above. His laugh reminded Sasuke that he was still two feet from the enemy. He had to get away before Kyoka could do anything else.

With a strained effort, Sasuke pushed himself up and away from the rogue. He fell into an awkward sitting position a few yards farther away, his hand grasped at his bleeding wound.

Kyoka swung his sword beside him, drops of blood flying off the weapon as he let out a final chuckle.

"I really expected more!" He barked tauntingly. "Your chakra is so strong, and you look pretty tough, but I guess when you get down to it you just need to hack at your little friends and you become useless!"

Sasuke growled, trying to push himself up onto his feet, but as soon as he put weight on his left leg pain seared through his wound and he fell back down. Kyoka let out another laugh seeing Sasuke's struggle, and then he began to pace his way over to the Uchiha.

"I really don't like taking people down when they look so pathetic, but I guess you leave me no choice…I'll kill you, and then I'll go kill Asano." He suddenly grinned maniacally. "And then…maybe I'll slap that pink-haired girl awake and see what she can do…or maybe I'll just kill her while she's still out. Hmm, decisions, decisions…."

Hearing Kyoka's words sent a huge wave of anger through Sasuke. He could picture Sakura, unconscious and defenseless, Kyoka drawing nearer with his sword raised. There was no way he'd let it happen.

In a rush of adrenaline, Sasuke pushed himself off the ground with a roar. His side burst with pain, but he ignored it. His hands latched around Kyoka's throat. Kyoka's eyes widened in alarm as they both fell to the ground.

Sasuke sat on top of Kyoka, panting heavily, his hands tightening around the man's throat.

"You…won't…touch her…." Sasuke hissed, tasting blood sliding around in his mouth. "I'll…kill you."

Behind Kyoka's frantic expression, something like amusement reached his eyes. "Will you now?"

Something hit Sasuke as Kyoka finished speaking. An immense amount of pain roared through him, and a moment later he was thrust off of Kyoka and sent tumbling to the ground. Sasuke laid on his side and hacked up a bit of blood as he grabbed his throbbing wound. When he looked he could see Kyoka's fist, covered in blood from when he had struck Sasuke's wound with it to get him off.

Kyoka now stood over him, staring him down in amusement. "That was pretty good, I admit. You caught me off guard. I didn't expect you to react so forcefully once I mentioned that pink-haired girl. What is she? Your girlfriend?" A sadistic look crossed his face as he finished speaking. "Maybe I should just bring her here, and kill her in front of you. How would that make you feel?"

Sasuke froze as Kyoka's words sunk in, then, his mind began to reel. He saw images from when his clan was slaughtered, their cries still haunted him. He could see all those he once held dear to him falling into a pool of blood. Then his mind changed to Sakura. He could see her in the places of those he saw fall. He felt a pain stabbing at his chest that he knew wasn't a physical injury, but at the same time he couldn't describe it. All he knew was that he could not let Kyoka touch Sakura.

His hand that didn't hold his wound clutched into a tight fist. He wouldn't let Kyoka lay a hand on her. He wouldn't be able to bear seeing his comrades, one of his best friends, be killed.

The same rush of adrenaline from before poured into his veins, and then he was on his feet. This time he felt determined to kill Kyoka before he could do anything else.

However, Kyoka expected this reaction, and a moment later Sasuke found himself back on the ground, pain returning ten-fold to his wound. He let out a pained cry as he gripped the hole in his stomach.

Kyoka simply stared down at the Uchiha, his eyes devoid of any emotion now.

"Just wait here." He ordered flatly, and then he was off.

Sasuke laid on his back now, panting erratically and cursing himself for being so weak. If only, he thought, he had just gone full force and taken Kyoka out, then they wouldn't be in this situation. They would already be on their way back home. Naruto wouldn't have gotten hurt, he wouldn't have gotten hurt, and they could have woken Sakura up by now and they would all be on their way back home.

Sasuke's teeth clenched as he let out a pained hiss. He looked over towards Naruto, who hadn't moved an inch since he had hit the ground. By the looks of it, he had fallen unconscious. He wished he'd have realized Kyoka was headed towards Naruto when he had attacked, then maybe he could have actually helped.

Sasuke then heard a rustling. He looked over, and out of the trees came Kyoka. Sakura's unconscious form was in his arms, and a smug look was plastered to his face.

Sasuke could feel his heartbeat growing faster, he tried fruitlessly for a moment to get up and take Sakura from him, but he could hardly move.

"Put her…down." Sasuke snarled, still panting a little.

Kyoka smiled. "Are you really ordering _me_ around?" He let out a dry bark of a laugh. "Please. I'll put her down in a moment, but then…she's going to die."

Sasuke could do nothing but glare as Kyoka walked past him to the middle of the little clearing they had been in the whole time. Kyoka set Sakura down and then stood over her for a moment. Sasuke felt another wave of pain in his chest. Sakura looked so peaceful lying there on the ground, entirely unaware of the extreme danger she was in.

Kyoka loomed over Sakura's body with a pleasurable look on his face, and then something seemed to catch his eye. He smirked, and then walked over to a bush. Out of it, he pulled Sasuke's forgotten katana.

Kyoka turned towards Sasuke with an expression like a child looking at his parent wondering if he was allowed to go play in an amusement park.

"Well, wouldn't this be great?" He beamed maliciously. "That this girl be killed by the blade of the guy who tried to protect her."

"Don't you _dare_."

Sasuke and Kyoka's eyes widened slightly. They then glanced over to the side. Naruto was conscious again, and struggling to lift his upper body up on his arms.

"Don't you dare." Naruto seethed, his eyes flaming. "If you touch her…I'll kill you."

Kyoka's amusement only seemed to grow as Naruto spoke. "Really now? Before or after I kill you, little boy? You can hardly even sit up."

Naruto glared daggers at Kyoka, and for a moment Sasuke thought again of the feelings Naruto once held for Sakura. Something inside him stirred at that thought, and without thinking, he again tried to pick himself up.

There was a lot of pain, so much he thought he'd pass out, but he persisted, and he soon found himself on his feet. Kyoka didn't seem to notice, he was too focused between Sakura and Naruto.

Taking deep breaths, Sasuke focused himself, and moved his hands to make hand signs. He couldn't use a fire jutsu for fear of getting Naruto or Sakura, so he knew he had to use lightning. He finished his hand signs, and then he dropped to the ground. Slamming his hands to the floor, he sent a wave of electricity through the earth towards Kyoka.

Kyoka picked up on Sasuke's motions as he dropped to the ground, but with the speed of chakra induced electricity, he had no time to react. He was being electrocuted before he knew it. He howled in pain.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, Sakura began to stir. Lightly at first, starting when Kyoka had first set her down.

Hey eyelids began to twitch, and she was able to think again.

"_What happened?" _She wondered briefly, until she was hit with the memory of being hit by the bolt of lightning. _"That's right…that light…knocked me out. How long…have I been out? Are Naruto and Sasuke okay? I don't seem to be moving…could I possibly have been unconscious the whole time? Are we back in the Leaf Village?"_

Finally then, Sakura's eyes began to flutter open. At first all she saw was the trees and the sky, which told her she wasn't in the Leaf Village yet. Then other things started to register. Someone was yelling, and she could feel a certain…tingle to the ground. A lightning jutsu, she thought. Then she finally saw Kyoka, and she understood the situation.

Glancing swiftly to the side, she could just see Sasuke on his hands and knees sending the lightning jutsu through the ground to the rogue above her. Her breath caught when she saw that Sasuke's abdomen was soaked with blood, obviously his own.

A moment later Kyoka ceased yelling, and the tingle vanished. Sasuke's jutsu had ended. Picking on to a plan, Sakura shut her eyes and pretended to still be unconscious.

Kyoka glared at the Uchiha, who was now struggling to get back onto his feet after dropping to the ground.

"You little punk," Kyoka growled, and then he turned towards Sakura, whom he still believed to be unconscious, "let's see how you feel about this!" He began to raise the sword.

Sakura knew without opening her eyes what was happening. Kyoka was going to attack her.

"No!" She heard Naruto yell, so he was there too, she thought.

"Damn it!" She heard Sasuke curse, and then a tumble. He had fallen to the ground. He must be hurt pretty bad.

A split second later, Sakura snapped her eyes open just in time to see Sasuke's sword coming down at her. Moving in a flash, Sakura rolled to the side to avoid the sword, which stabbed into the ground where she had laid. A second later she lunged out with her fist, and she felt it connect hard with the rogue's jaw.

When she took a look around at the situation, Kyoka's eyes were wide open in alarm, Sasuke in the back seemed just as surprised, and Naruto, who she caught out of the corner of her eye, was probably just as shocked as the other two.

Kyoka let out a pained grunt, and then he flew backwards, stopping when he rammed into a tree. What happened next was something none of them were prepared for.

Poof!

A moment later three pairs of eyes widened with such surprise and disbelief they looked like they'd pop from their heads.

One second ago they saw a man who they believed to be a rogue ninja sprawled against the trunk of a tree, but now they saw someone who they all recognized and knew very well.

Sakura's mouth formed words for a minute, but none came out. When she finally found her voice, her words came out in almost a whisper.

"Ka…Kakashi…Sensei?"

**Ahahahahaha! Okay people, admit it, before that moment, **_**none **_**of you were expecting that one! Hahaha! To tell you the truth, when I was first planning this I didn't either. I first came up with the idea of turning the guy who I thought was just going to be an assassin they'd kill into Kakashi when I was thinking of how to best explain the light that struck Sakura. (Because then I thought "a lightning jutsu!" and then I thought "Kakashi knows lightning jutsus…and they are testing his trust…OH! That'd be a great idea!"And with the little subconscious at the time foreshadowing of "almost like he knew where to strike" I knew I had set up a good idea. And that's basically how my thought process works 90% of the time…) Hahaha! Actually…a lot of this chapter is the results of changing ideas…a random rogue is now Kakashi, the process leading up to Sakura popping him in the face was revised just a little while ago, I was going to have Naruto fighting with Sasuke till I came up with him getting a little surprise attack, and I had to read through here to come up with fluff to make it longer…hence long trains of thought. And now next chapter we'll be getting an explanation out of our "assassin". So till then people! **


	10. An Altered Type of Care

**Chapter Ten- An Altered Type of Care**

"Ka…Kakashi…Sensei?" Sakura whispered, disbelieving.

Kakashi looked up towards Sakura, his one eye closed with a crinkle at the side telling them he was smiling. He rubbed the back of his head. "What's up?"

Sakura blinked a couple times. "What's…what's up? What are you doing here? Why are you…? What's going on?"

"What she said!" Naruto exclaimed, wincing as he finished speaking and falling back to the ground.

"Well, you see," Kakashi began, "it's all kinda…complicated."

"Yes, I can tell." Sakura huffed. "Just…why were you disguised as a rogue? Why were you attacking us? Why did you hurt us?" Sakura gasped, looking from Naruto to Sasuke. "Oh no! Are you two okay?"

Sasuke grunted, trying, and failing, to get up. He fell back to the ground. With the stress of the battle over, his body gave out. Sakura ran to him.

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Are you okay?" Sakura called, laying him on his back and pushing away his shirt where she saw the blood pooled on the fabric. She gasped when she saw his wound, and turned a menacing glare on Kakashi. "What did you do to him?"

Kakashi suddenly seemed very bashful. "Sorry…I kinda ran him through with a sword."

"_Kinda_?" Sakura echoed. "Look at him! He could have died if you—" Sakura stopped herself. She almost looked on the verge of tears. She looked away, trying to rein in her emotions. "Just…bring Naruto over here so I can have a look at him too, and you better start explaining yourself!"

"Right…" Kakashi nodded, and walked over to the blond while Sakura set to work on Sasuke's wound. She reached into her back pouch, pulling out a cloth and soaking up some of the blood around Sasuke's wound.

Sakura surveyed the injury. It was evident that what Kakashi said was true. Seeing the hole in Sasuke's abdomen threw hard emotions at the kunoichi. She was angered that Kakashi would do something like that to him, but she was also immensely saddened. She hated seeing people dear to her in pain.

Sasuke could see these emotions in her eyes along with the bits of tears she tried her best to hold back. He gazed up at her almost sympathetically.

Kakashi brought Naruto and laid him on his stomach so his gash faced up as Sakura worked on Sasuke's injury. When Kakashi took a seat on the opposite side of the two boys from Sakura she only looked up to glare at him for a moment before she returned her attention to Sasuke's wound.

"Why…?" Sakura questioned. "Start explaining yourself."

Kakashi let out a sigh. "You see, it was an order from Lady Hokage. As you know, this mission was assigned in order to test Sasuke's trustworthiness. We weren't sure how much trouble you'd find with only a C-ranked mission so—"

"I thought this was a B-ranked mission." Sakura corrected.

Kakashi shook his head. "Nope, we only wanted it to seem that way, put that much more pressure on you."

Sakura muttered something to herself about vicious higher ups, and then inclined her head for Kakashi to continue.

"So Lady Tsunade sent me to face off against you guys on your trip home if nothing seemed to be happening. And nothing did seem to be happening so…I stepped up. It was all in the name of testing Sasuke's trustworthiness."

"Well what was the point in hurting them like this?" Sakura asked sharply.

"Well, first off I knew I had to get through you two before I could really test Sasuke. So I knocked you out with a lightning attack…eh, sorry about that…and I had left a clone to stall Naruto for a bit when Sasuke had run off with you."

Sakura's brow rose in confusion. Being unconscious, she had no idea what had happened during the battle. But she went with it, making a note to ask the boys what they had done after she was knocked out later.

"So I trailed after Sasuke, and for a while I could tell he was only stalling me waiting on Naruto. When Naruto finally did appear, I had to take care of him so…" Kakashi gestured towards Naruto's gash, which Sakura frowned disapprovingly at. "With you and Naruto incapacitated, Sasuke was thrust into a tough corner. My job was to see his reaction."

Kakashi looked down at Sasuke, who had been listening silently as Sakura worked on him.

Kakashi smiled from behind his mask. "You'll be happy to hear…you pass. I was looking for you to do something negative, be it leaving Naruto or Sakura behind, or going into some kind of cold-blooded killer mode. But you stuck to it; you protected them both quite nicely. I'm pretty proud of you."

"Tch," Sasuke muttered, "I'm sure not feeling the happiness."

"Er…sorry, guess I'm still kind of in character; though it was a little fun getting to unleash a little evil side."

Sakura's brow twitched. "You sick, sadistic, bastard."

Kakashi sighed again. "Yes, yes…I apologize, really. I didn't mean to scare you guys or anything."

"Just like I guess you didn't mean to hurt the boys like this?" Sakura stated dryly.

"Eh, heh…don't you find it kind of amusing?"

"Not really."

"Heh," Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "I really am sorry…."

Sakura didn't seem to hear him. She stood up abruptly to move over to Naruto.

Sakura surveyed Naruto's wound with an air of disapproval. "You do realize any deeper and you could have cut his spinal cord? That's fatal you know."

Kakashi huffed. "Yes, I know…the point had only been to paralyze him."

"Yeah, did a great job with that." Naruto responded.

Sakura said nothing for a while until something seemed to hit her. "Oh! Asano! He's still where we left him!"

Kakashi stood up. "I'll get him."

Sasuke sat up. His wound was now completely closed. "I'll go too."

Without a word, the two leapt into the air and began to head towards the trail where they had left Asano.

They travelled in silence for a little while, until the question Sasuke had finally came out.

"Why's Sakura so pissed off about the whole ordeal?" Sasuke asked quickly, a little embarrassed to have to ask the question. He could understand her depression at seeing he and Naruto were hurt, but she didn't think she'd be so resentful towards Kakashi over a few injuries.

Kakashi looked towards the Uchiha, smiled at him, and then looked forward again. "She just hates the idea of seeing her two most important people getting hurt like that. I guess the fact that it happened to such a degree just to test you didn't help to lighten how she felt about it."

"Two most…" Sasuke began to say, but he held his tongue.

Kakashi, however, had heard him. "Well of course…. After all, you think those feelings are any different in you, or in Naruto? Well…maybe in some cases they're a little altered, but…."

Sasuke threw a perplexed look towards the Jonin, but he didn't say anything else. Giving up, Sasuke looked forward.

"_A little…altered in some cases…." _Sasuke thought. _"Does he possibly mean…?"_

'"'"'"'"

"Ah, it feels so good to be on my feet again!" Naruto cheered as the five of them walked down the trail towards the Leaf Village.

"Don't get too overenthusiastic." Sakura instructed. "Once we get back to the Leaf Village you two are going to the hospital for a better examination."

Naruto turned and walked backwards to talk to the kunoichi. "Awe, but it was done by you Sakura! And I feel fine!"

A little color rose on Sakura's cheeks at Naruto's compliment. "I mean, I'll still be the one to check you guys out…it's just I want to do it in a better condition where I can make sure the damage done has all been healed. And actually Sasuke"—Sakura looked towards her said teammate—"you will probably have to stay for a few days to rest. I was only able to heal your skin to close up your wound, the internal damage in still there, and you'll need a few days of rest and therapy in order for your body to repair it naturally."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, which Sakura took as an agreement.

Kakashi looked over at Asano. "I guess I should probably apologize to you as well. The whole ordeal most likely gave you quite a fright."

Asano nodded his head lightly. "So, that was you attacking us?"

"Yes," Kakashi sighed, "I didn't mean you any harm of course."

Listening, Kakashi thought he heard Sakura scoff, but he ignored it.

"You should know you'll be sure to get home safely, and we'll send with you good company for your trip home."

"Oh, thank you." Asano responded.

"Hey, hey!" Naruto declared, pointing forward. "I think I see the village walls!"

Everyone looked up at Naruto's announcement, and true to his words, the village walls were coming into view.

"Finally, it's over!" Naruto cheered.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed, she then regarded Asano and Kakashi. "I guess when we get in, Kakashi, as a little payback, _you _can take Asano where he needs to go. The three of us will drop off our stuff, and I'll go see Lady Tsunade real quick. Guys,"—she glanced towards Naruto and Sasuke—"when you drop off your stuff, head to the hospital. I'll meet you both there."

Sasuke and Naruto agreed and Kakashi sighed.

"_Why am I being bossed around by someone lower ranking than me? And why must I do the work…? Oh, whatever. Better not to question it." _Kakashi thought solemnly.

With that, everyone walked on in silence as the village gates loomed closer and closer above them.

'"'"'"'"

"Owowowowow!" Naruto groaned as he gripped his pillow.

"Quit complaining, Naruto." Sakura ordered. "It's helping you."

Naruto buried his head into his pillow as Sakura pressed down on his back. "But it huuuurts!"

"Would you rather have Tsunade do it?" Sakura hissed. "Because you know, she works faster, but it'll hurt more."

Naruto let out a muffled whimper, and consented to the continued treatment.

Sasuke watched the whole scene from his own bed. The three of them were in the hospital now, and according to Sakura, he'd be there a few days. Naruto, however, just had to endure the treatment he currently griped about, and then he could go home.

"You can just go thank Kakashi-Sensei when this is all over." Sakura told him after a particularly long bout of pained cries from the blond.

"I thought Kakashi-Sensei loved us…why must he torture us like this?" Naruto sobbed.

"Not my fault he's a sick, sadistic, perverted..." Sakura grumbled, pressing Naruto's back a little more forcefully than necessary, causing the blond to yelp.

Sasuke sighed, shifting his gaze up the ceiling away from the two. "Sorry…." He breathed lightly.

Naruto and Sakura both froze and looked over at their teammate, confusion written all over their faces.

Sasuke glared at the ceiling, regretting having put himself on the spot. "I mean…Kakashi only did this to test my trustworthiness…."

Sakura stared at the Uchiha for a moment, turned her head towards Naruto, and pressed on his back. Naruto let out another pained cry. "Okay Naruto, you're good to go."

Naruto blinked. "Eh?" He then flipped over onto his back and sat up. He rolled his shoulders and leaned forward to touch his toes. "Yeah, you're right. I feel great!" He stood up and grinned at the kunoichi. "Thanks Sakura!"

Sakura smiled back at the blond as he reached down for his jacket. "You're welcome."

Naruto looked over at Sasuke as he slipped on his clothes. "So Teme, you're staying here for a couple days?"

Sasuke grunted as Sakura spoke up. "Yes, I'll have to do a bit of work on him to help his insides which were stabbed by Kakashi-Sensei."

Naruto let out a laugh. "Hey Teme, look to the bright side! You get food, shelter, a good nurse, and you returned from a successful mission! And since Kakashi-Sensei said he thought you were trustworthy, it's for sure that you're officially gonna be one of us again!"

Sasuke grunted again, still staring up at the ceiling.

"Right then," Sakura declared, "you go ahead and get home Naruto. Try not to go too crazy or you could stir up those injuries. I'll stay here and start working on Sasuke."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Alright then! I'll catch you guys later!" Naruto began to walk out the door, but as he was about to close it he poked his head inside. "Oh yeah, wasn't Ino saying something about…?"

"Oh yes, she did." Sakura agreed. "So could you maybe stop by and tell her we're back?"

"Alright, so then what about the Teme?"

"I'm sure she'd be happy to include him. Just don't let her come over here today. I'd rather do my work with some silence."

"Right, right. I'll talk to her then." Naruto began to close the door, but peeked his head around one last time to say, "Just remember, Granny Tsunade doesn't like nurses fraternizing with the patients!" And with that he shut the door before Sakura could react.

"Naruto!" She hissed, her cheeks growing a little pink. She turned towards Sasuke, taking a deep breath to steady the temperature of her face. "Ignore him…. The idiot…."

"Hn," Sasuke snorted, not seeming to have even been paying attention.

"Right…so," Sakura began, "I guess I need you to take off your shirt for a bit so I can take a look."

Sasuke said nothing, sitting up and pulling off his shirt without protest. Sakura came up to him.

"So where exactly was the puncture wound again?" Sakura asked as her hand brushed Sasuke's front.

"About here." Sasuke responded, and then surprised Sakura slightly when he took her hand and placed it over where he indicated his injury to have been.

Sakura could feel the color wanting to rise on her cheeks from the feeling of Sasuke's hand grasping hers, but she forced it down, slipping behind her professional doctor mask. "Okay." She then shook her hand out of Sasuke's to place her palm over his stomach. Channeling her chakra, she shut her eyes as green chakra emanated from her hand.

There was silence as Sakura used her chakra to survey the internal damage Sasuke suffered. At one point Sakura moved her other hand to a spot directly behind the entrance of his wound to where the sword came out of him. Their faces next to each other, Sasuke could see her frown disapprovingly occasionally, lift when something seemed to please her, and he could feel it when she let out a light huff for one reason or another.

About a minute later, Sakura's chakra faded from her hand, and she stood up straight. She appeared to be content.

"Thankfully," she stated, "Kakashi-Sensei missed any vitals. He grazed your intestines, but that's nothing medical chakra alone can't help. Some things are kind of cut up though. I'd say all you need is a couple days here of rest with some therapy and you'll be good to go."

"Okay." Sasuke responded. "Are we going to start?"

"Hmm, well, aren't you hungry? I don't think we've gotten a chance to eat since breakfast."

In truth, Sasuke thought, he wasn't all that hungry. Years of rationing and going on and on without stopping for breaks had shrunk his stomach down to only need a little bit of food a day. But now he was free of those restrictions, now that he thought about it. No longer would he have to save food or only eat once or twice a day. Food actually sounded alright.

Sasuke inclined his head as he began to reach for and pull on his shirt. "Okay."

Sakura nodded. "Alright, I'll be back with some. Just wait here." She then left, leaving Sasuke in the silence of the hospital room.

Taking a look around, Sasuke was hit with memories of his past. How many times he had landed himself in the hospital he really couldn't count anymore. However, thinking back, there wasn't a single time he was in the hospital that Sakura hadn't visited him at least once a day. Now, he thought ironically, Sakura worked at the very hospital she had probably visited a countless number of times to see him.

He glanced around the room. On a shelf there was a vase with a flower in it. Clearly, he could remember back to his old life, where Sakura had come in many times with a flower in hand for his vase. Now that he looked at it, the flower was a daffodil, the same flower that Sakura would always bring in for him.

Something seemed to tug somewhere within him. Perhaps it was a yearning feeling for the peace of the old days. Back when he was still a tried-and-true Leaf Villager. Back when Team Seven was a close-knit band of three Genin and their Sensei. Back when thoughts like him actually leaving the village were passed off as jokes and strong doubts. He almost felt homesick while at home.

Sasuke sat there in silence for several more minutes as memories from just the hospital alone plagued his thoughts. He'd go in for injuries after missions, he was put under intensive care after he got the curse mark, he's woken up in the hospital several weeks later after being knocked out by Itachi; Sakura had been there too, even when he didn't know it. It had been there that he challenged Naruto to a fight, and the two tussled it out on the roof, only to be stopped by Kakashi. Sakura had been at that too, and had almost gotten involved. So many things brought them back there to that hospital.

A moment later Sakura finally came in with a couple plates of food. She looked towards Sasuke with a smile, unaware of all that had been going through his head.

"Hey, sorry it took a bit. You don't mind me eating here as well, do you?" She asked.

Sasuke blinked, unable to speak for a moment. He then grunted in approval as Sakura came forward, handing him a plate and taking a seat in a chair by his bed with her own.

Sasuke sat there for a moment, watching the kunoichi eat. For a second she was unaware of her being watched, but when she glanced up she gave Sasuke a perplexed look. "What is it?"

Almost seeming to pull out of a trance, Sasuke shifted his gaze to his plate of food. "Nothing."

Sakura gazed at the Uchiha for a moment, and then smiled. "It's nice…."

Now Sasuke turned towards the kunoichi with a perplexed expression. "What?"

"I mean," Sakura continued, "it's nice…that you're back…and you're here. Well, not so nice you're a patient in the hospital but…um…nice that…you're back in the village with us and…you know…."

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, until finally he smirked as he looked over to his friend. His friend that he hoped would continue to be there for him, whether he's injured or not.

"Yeah…it is nice."

**And we're ending it here! Part two of my story is done, and we're already delving into part three of the story…Team Seven time! Time to get away from all the action and just relax as we start coming into the more laid back, romantic parts of this story! (Bet that'll make SasuSaku fans out there happy.) Heheh…well too bad! (Kinda.) They're not getting together juuuust yet. (Because I mean, what's a story by Okami-chan if Sasuke and Sakura aren't together by the end…? It's the sequences that lead up to it that makes it a different story!) Anyway…so fluff to come! But none to worry you bloodthirsty ninja action fans, there's more gore to come. Oh yes, fwahaha. …I think I just bombed the "evil laugh" test…I'm too sarcastic to pull it off well…so I'll give you cliffhangers! Fwahahahaha! Ooh! I think that worked well! Haha…I mean, muaha! Mehhh…till later peoples! **


	11. Personal Bonds

**Chapter Eleven- Personal Bonds**

"Okay, how's that feel?" Sakura asked softly.

"Hn, a little better." Sasuke responded.

Sakura smiled. "Good, so it's starting to work." Sakura stopped the flow of medical chakra in her hands and then shifted them to her sides. "I'll let you rest for a little while and then I'll take a look to see how those medications have worked."

Sasuke nodded, sitting up and adjusting himself to a more comfortable position on his hospital bed.

Sakura watched him move the whole time with a light smile gracing her lips. When Sasuke found his comfortable position, he looked over at the kunoichi with a perplexed expression. "What?"

Sakura blinked, caught once more in a daze. "Oh…sorry…I'm just…happy."

Now Sasuke blinked, his expression told Sakura he was curious.

"Uh…well…" Sakura began, feeling slightly nervous. Her right arm crossed her front and grabbed her left forearm as she turned to gaze out the window. She noted offhandedly what a clear and warm day it was. "It makes me happy…thinking that I'm helping you in some way. I was always so…useless…back when we were all Genin and—"

"You weren't useless." Sasuke blurted out. The words didn't even seem to finishing processing in his brain until he was suddenly done saying them aloud. He stared at Sakura for a moment, who also stared back at him in surprise. Sasuke averted his gaze to the bed sheets. "Sorry…."

Sakura stood speechless for a minute, and then she turned and looked back out the window. "No…it's okay…good, in fact. I'm glad, actually…that I could do something then. But I mean now I'm _really_ helping. I'm not just rooting for you and Naruto on the sidelines anymore, I'm there fighting with you. I'm not worrying about your conditions after a battle as much anymore because I'm the one who's there healing you both. I just…I'm so glad I can really do something productive now."

Sasuke looked back up at the pink-haired girl. She continued to gaze out the window. Then, something clicked in Sasuke's mind, and a curve of the mouth that could have been mistaken for a smile crossed his face.

"Sakura," he called, Sakura turned towards him, "do you think the hospital would let me leave for a bit?"

Sakura stared at Sasuke. "What? But, you're still recovering and—"

"I think it'll be okay." Sasuke turned his face to the window, gazing outside to the clear day he too had noticed. "I'll have a good medic ninja with me after all."

"Huh?" Sakura stammered, and then it connected. She almost felt herself blush. "You mean…both of us leave?"

Sasuke shifted his gaze back to his teammate. "You know I like taking walks."

'"'"'"'"

Sakura took in a deep breath. "It really is very nice outside. It almost makes me regret having to work indoors all day in the hospital."

"Hn," Sasuke responded. "Yeah, it is…."

Sakura looked at the Uchiha from the corner of her eye. It was odd enough that he actually suggested they go on a walk together, now she's hearing a few extra syllables than he typically deems necessary. She didn't really know what to expect from him nowadays.

"_Is he just trying to rebuild up those bonds he tore down years ago?" _Sakura wondered. _"Or is this just part of him trying to turn over a new leaf back into the light? Or does he…?" _Sakura's face reddened slightly. _"No, no, no, no way. He's being nice. That's why. That's sure to be why…even though I…"_

"Did you hear me, Sakura?"

Sakura blinked, snapping out of her thoughts, she shifted her full gaze onto Sasuke. "What?"

Sasuke looked down at her with a hint of exasperation for having to repeat himself. "I had asked if you wanted to get something to eat. It'd be better than more hospital lunches."

"Oh," Sakura breathed. "Well…" she smiled, "sure."

Sasuke nodded his head. "There's a place up ahead I remember being pretty good. We can stop there."

"Okay," Sakura replied.

The two walked together for a couple more minutes after that until they reached the place Sasuke had referred to. Sakura recognized the place. She had gone there a few times before with some of the girls. She liked the little restaurant.

They sat down at a small table that had a chair at each end. A waiter came over with a couple menus for the two, and then left while they decided.

"It's been a little bit since I've been to this place." Sakura stated casually. "I used to come here a lot with Ino, or Hinata, or Lady Tsunade."

"I was here a couple times." Sasuke responded. "Back when I was thirteen. The four of us had come here once, and another just because I was hungry."

Sakura smiled, seeming to remember what he was referring to. "Oh yeah, though when we came, didn't Naruto…"

"Yes, he got us thrown out for throwing food at me. That was this place."

Sakura giggled. "Yeah, now I remember."

The waiter returned a moment later to take their orders. He took Sasuke's order, and then turned to Sakura.

"And what of your lady?" He asked politely.

Something in Sakura twitched hearing "_your_ lady" and she wanted to make a comment, but she didn't know how it'd look to be correcting the waiter over common courtesy. Holding back her response, she gave the waiter her order, and he walked off.

Sakura twiddled with her thumbs a little timidly under the table as she focused her attention on a particular design on a tablecloth over on the next table.

Sasuke caught her wariness. "Don't worry about it." He stated. Sakura turned an innocently confused eye on the Uchiha. "I saw your reaction to what the waiter said. It didn't mean anything."

Sakura, again, wanted to make a comment, but once more she bit it back and nodded her head. "Right…."

"Unless this is something."

Sakura jerked her head towards the Uchiha so fast she could have given herself whiplash. Internally Sasuke was beating himself up. He couldn't seem to be able to keep his mouth shut and think before he said anything anymore.

Sasuke tried to hide the color rising on his cheeks by putting his elbows on the table and casually weaving his fingers in front of his face. "Never mind." He muttered.

Sakura opened her mouth slightly to say something, but knew now it was just better not to. She looked down at the table for a while as Sasuke stared off to a corner of the room.

Their food came a while later, and the two ate in relative silence. It wasn't an awkward silence over their last little conversation, it was more of the companionable silence they'd grown accustomed to when they get their quiet moments together.

It wasn't until they were finished eating that they really began talking as the bill came over.

Sasuke seemed to be reaching towards a pocket. "I'll get it."

Sakura held up a hand. "No, no, I will. You probably don't have much money right now anyway after you were gone for so long. Save it for something a little more important."

Sasuke raised a brow, and Sakura then realized what it sounded like she implied.

"Oh, no," she breathed, "I mean…I don't mean to imply you're poor or anything, just…I…."

Sasuke shook his head. "I get it. I'll pay next time."

Sakura blinked. "Next time…?"

Sasuke looked at her from the corner of his eye. "It's…nice eating with just you. There's no Naruto around to make a racket."

"Oh…." Sakura then smiled. "Okay."

Sakura paid for the bill, and then the two left back for the hospital. It had already been over an hour, and someone must have noticed their absence by that time.

The two walked into Sasuke's hospital room with Sakura leading. What she saw made her freeze, and Sasuke nearly ran into her.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering where you two had gone."

Sakura's mouth opened to say something, and then she bowed her head. "I apologize, Lady Tsunade. I didn't realize you'd be coming."

Tsunade smiled lightly at her student. "It's alright. Where did you two go?"

Sakura raised her head. "Oh…well, Sasuke just…I mean…. We just went for a walk and got some lunch."

Tsunade nodded her head, and gestured for the two to come in. Sakura, realizing she was blocking Sasuke in the doorway, stepped forward. Sasuke slipped in and the two stood beside each other facing Tsunade.

Tsunade smiled at Sasuke. "Well, it seems you've been making some quick work worming your way back into your friend's hearts." She turned to look out the window for a moment, and then half turned back towards them. "So you all should be glad to hear that you have a long time to keep building on that."

Sakura stared at her mentor between surprise and awe as she realized what she meant. "So you mean?"

Tsunade fully turned back to the two. "Yes, the village decided to accept you back, Sasuke. Kakashi says you did pretty well with defending your teammates till the end, even suffering through the wounds you received to protect them. We're actually quite surprised ourselves."

"That's great news!" Sakura beamed, looking up at her teammate. Sasuke stood, unmoving.

Inside Sasuke didn't rightly know how to feel. Glad, he was sure, but it didn't seem the reality of it had fully sunken in. He had left, done a numerous amount of horrible things, and when he came back all he had to do was go on a set up trust mission and do well and he was accepted back. It all seemed so surreal.

Then, Sasuke felt something. He looked down and saw a mass of pink hair against him; something warm wrapped around his torso. Sakura was hugging him.

"I'm really glad." She muttered against his side.

Sasuke continued to gaze down at the kunoichi, and then everything set in. The village accepted him even through all that he'd done because he showed how much he can still care for his teammates. He displayed for them that he could be trusted and depended upon by the people of the village, and so they instilled their trust into him.

When Sakura let him go Tsunade began to speak again. "So then…if you're going to be one of us again, after you're out of the hospital you should come by my office. We'll set you up with some re-registration."

Tsunade began to walk forward towards the door. She stopped when she passed Sakura, and turned to address her. Sakura glanced over to her.

Tsunade smiled at her student. "Keep up the good work."

Sakura stared up at her teacher for a moment, and then returned her smile. "Right, thank you, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade inclined her head, and then left the room, leaving Sakura and Sasuke standing there.

Sakura turned towards Sasuke. Sasuke looked down at her.

"Well then, let's see how those medications have been working."

'"'"'"'"

The look on Sakura's face as she surveyed Sasuke's insides told him clearly that she was pleased. When she finally pulled away from him her smile reflected that.

"Looks like just about everything is back to normal. You should be out of here by dinner time." Sakura told him.

Sasuke inclined his head. "Good."

Sakura's smile widened. "It is, and it's just in time."

Sasuke shifted and stared up at the kunoichi with a questioning look.

"Oh, yes, we haven't really told you yet." Sakura announced. "You see, in a few days we're all going to have a little campout out in the forest. There's going to be a bunch of us, like the old Rookie Nine and Lee's team. It'll be a lot of fun and yesterday Naruto went to Ino's to tell her we're back and that hopefully, well, if you want to, that you'll be coming too."

"Aa," Sasuke responded.

"So," Sakura drawled, "will you come? It'd be so great. You can reacquaint yourself with everyone again and we can all hang out. It'll be like old times."

Sasuke was silent for a moment, seeming to contemplate Sakura's offer. Finally, he nodded his head. "Alright."

"Alright, great," Sakura beamed. "So once I'm done here I guess I'll go tell them that you're coming."

"When is it?"

"Uh…if I remember right we planned to meet Saturday at noon in front of Yamanaka Flowers, and we'd all head into the forest from there. We'll probably be home then by somewhere past the same time the next day."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, "got it."

"Good," Sakura responded, looking over at a clock on the wall. "Hm, I guess I'll be back in a couple hours for a final check-up, and then you'll probably be released. So just relax for now."

Sasuke didn't say anything, but Sakura knew he understood.

"I'll see you in a bit then." Sakura called as she left his room.

Sasuke waited till Sakura was gone, and then he laid down. There was really nothing to do when you were the only person in a little hospital room, he could just take a nap or something.

Once he was situated, however, he found that he really couldn't fall asleep. He was neither tired nor relaxed enough. He stared at the ceiling and his mind began to wander.

Today, he thought, he'd spent basically the entire day with Sakura. She had come in relatively early to bring him some breakfast, and a while after he was finished she brought him the medications needed to help with his healing process. From there they had gone on their walk, had lunch, came back, and now they were here. To top it off, Tsunade had come and deemed him to be a Leaf Villager once again. His day, so far, was actually turning out to be going very well.

As those thoughts finished, he suddenly found himself thinking back to their mission which landed him in the hospital. From that he remembered his talk with Kakashi while they had gone to retrieve Asano.

"_A little altered in some cases…" _echoed through his head.

Sasuke sighed. He knew it shouldn't bother him as it did, but something about it just set him off.

The three of them, he, Sakura, and Naruto, were all friends, he knew that. All together they made up a bunch of close ninja fighting through life together. However, looking at it from one to the other, other things become evident.

Naruto and he were friends, best friends, and at the same time they were rivals. Back in the past Naruto's feelings for Sakura were that of a crush, and she looked at him as mostly an annoyance. Then the relationship between him and Sakura….

"_I'm so in love with you I can't stand it!" _Those were the words she said to him the night he left.

Back then, Sakura claimed to love him, and he could clearly remember her fangirl antics from back then, which over time died down. Now, however, she was much more formal. If she still felt that way towards him he certainly couldn't tell. He knows she cares about him, but it seems to be on equal par at the moment with Naruto. To her, they seem to be her teammates and friends and nothing else.

Sasuke huffed and rolled over to look out the window. His eyes slightly began to droop as he stared out at the village.

So, he surmised, he and Naruto's relationship was normal, friendly, competitive. Naruto and Sakura…he knew they were friends, and was unsure of any further development. Then he and Sakura…now that he thought about it, how did he feel about Sakura? She was his friend, definitely, easy to work with typically, anything more…

Sasuke's eyes closed. If she still felt the same way towards him as before, that would mean she loved him, but how he felt for her was still uncertain in his mind. She was a caring, strong, and nice to be around person when she wasn't angry.

Pretty quickly, sleep started to overtake the Uchiha. His thoughts began to slip away from his mind.

Could he possibly have any sort of feelings towards the kunoichi past his friendship as she could possibly still harbor for him in return?

Sleep had just about fully taken him over by now as everything faded away from his senses. Before he fully fell into his peaceful little nap, one last word echoed through his mind so quietly he wasn't even sure if it was his thought or just the faint words of someone in a room next to his.

…_Maybe_.

**Hmmm, sorry it couldn't be any longer. I don't know why it was sooo freaking hard to come up with material for this! I thought "oh, I can do this, and this, and this, and it'll be good!" only it didn't turn out that way. Next thing I knew all my ideas were just about run out and I was looking around for anything I could possibly stretch out without over-exaggerating or making something too long. So I had to come to these moments. Though thankfully Sasuke's last while of thinking did end up fitting quite well with the chapter title I'd think. But anyway…that should be all…till the next chapter!  
Last little note…after this update it may be a bit till chapter twelve comes. I have been sooo uninspired! I open the document to chapter twelve…and nothing wants to come out. Why, I have no idea. It's been going on for a couple weeks. (Thanks to stockpiling I've been able to hold out till now, but now it's down to the wire and…ah….) Just hope that I'll update soon! (And now writing here on the actual day I publish this…yes, it'll take a bit. I have all of like…three sentences for the next chapter, and still no inspiration to write…sigh….) **


	12. The Campout

**Chapter Twelve- The Campout**

"Alright, is everybody here?" Ino called merrily.

"Looks like it!" Naruto answered, slinging his arms around his two teammates as he spoke. "We're all prepped and ready to go!"

"Good! Let's get going then!" Ino chirped, looking around at everyone to double check that everybody was in fact standing there in front of the little flower shop.

Sakura shrugged Naruto off of her and faced Ino. "So did you pick out a spot for all of us to stay?"

Ino froze, opened her mouth to say something, shut it, and then spoke. "That's the adventure of our little camping trip!"

"_She was too lazy to go in the woods and find a good clearing…good job, Pig." _Sakura sighed mentally.

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed, his arm that was still around Sasuke's shoulders wrapped around his neck in a chocking hold in his enthusiasm. "An adventure!"

A nerve in the Uchiha twitched at the rough chokehold. "Dobe, let go." He hissed.

"But this is a trip where we're all _together_! So suffer the wrath of my hugging!" Naruto laughed.

Pushing aside the many remarks he could make, Sasuke let out a huff, and a second later Naruto found himself on his back on the ground while everyone else began to walk towards the forest.

Naruto blinked, rolled onto his knees, stood up, and ran to catch up with everyone else. "Hey! That wasn't very nice Teme!"

'"'"'"'"

"This looks pretty good, don't you think?" Ino asked as the pack of ninjas grouped together in a relatively large clearing.

Everyone glanced around the open field, it looked pretty good. It would hold all of them and their supplies comfortably. All around there were small nods of approval until it was unanimous. Everyone then set to work setting up their campsite.

Sasuke stood off to the side, needing only to set his bag down in order to feel ready for the campout. While he stood there, watching everyone working, someone came up to him. He knew he recognized the boy. He was the boy who had accompanied Naruto and Sakura when they had searched for him in Orochimaru's base. He was the "replacement" boy for his spot in Team Seven.

The boy came up to him with what seemed to be a smile, and courteously put out his hand.

"I'm told this is a proper way to greet people." He said. "I am Sai. I was a part of Naruto's team for a while, but…I guess now that position has been taken back up with you."

Sasuke stared from the boy named Sai to his hand for a moment before he reached out and clasped it in a still greeting. "Sasuke, but you already know."

Sai nodded. "Yes."

Silence fell between the two. Neither really knew what else to say for the moment.

As if sensing the silent tension, Naruto and Sakura came and joined the two men.

"Hey!" Naruto cheered. "What are you guys doing just standing here? Come and join the fun!"

"Were you two getting acquainted?" Sakura asked; this they both answered with a nod.

Naruto waved his hands in an inviting gesture. "I hear talk of going down to a lake soon for lunch, so let's not get left behind guys!"

Naruto began to run forward towards where a number of the group was gathered together. Sakura looked back towards Sasuke and Sai.

"Well let's get going then." Sakura stated, and followed after Naruto to the group.

Sai began to follow immediately after Sakura took off, leaving Sasuke standing in his place for a moment seeing them all go. He fell into his own pace a second later, his eyes intent on the group of ninja, particularly on Naruto and Sakura.

Everything seemed so natural to them all, probably because it was. But he, Sasuke thought, was still trying to fall back into the pace of the Leaf ninja. After so long of doing things on his own, it almost felt strange to be following along with a large group now; a group that was already well formed together. He almost felt like…an extra.

Sakura turned from talking with Tenten and caught his gaze. She then smiled and gave him a beckoning hand gesture towards them.

Sasuke smirked, his pace quickening slightly. Whatever apprehension or awkwardness he felt, they surely didn't seem to take any notice of it in themselves. This thought comforted him, and as he reached the assembly of ninja, those feelings almost felt nonexistent.

'"'"'"'"

"Woo-hoooo!" Naruto bellowed as he launched himself into the air, curling up into a ball just before he splashed into the water. A large cascade of water flew up into the air and back down from his action. He surfaced a couple seconds later with a big grin on his face. "Man, how long has it been since I've been in the water? Oh wait…that's right, the _Teme _made me flip over a rail into a freaking _ocean _last week! And then left me!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's biting memory, having heard the blond from the shore.

Naruto turned towards Sasuke. "Speaking of the Teme, why doesn't he join the men in the water? Or has he decided to consider himself a _girl_?"

"And what's wrong with being a girl?" Sakura called. "We're smarter, cuter, and we can wear skirts!"

"Says you!" Naruto called back. "Girls would be nothing without guys! And we can wear skirts! We just choose not to!"

"More like they fear getting the crap beat out of them by the other guys for wearing one." Tenten scoffed.

The girls giggled. "You're probably right." Sakura agreed.

"So Teme!" Naruto declared. "You gonna stay on the shore and be a skirt-wearer-by-choice or are you going to come to the boxer-wearing side?"

"Tch, just consider me neutral." Sasuke responded.

Naruto blinked. "…Teme's a he-she? Oh my god! Deep down inside I always knew, but to hear him admit! Holy crap!"

Sasuke looked about to retort, but unfortunately for him, during Naruto's ranting he failed to notice the girls all nod their heads and sneak around behind the unsuspecting Uchiha.

The guys in the water were practically drowning with laughter from Naruto's statement, and only stopped their laughing when a strange sound reached their ears.

They thought they recognized what they heard, something just sounded different about it. It took them a moment, but then they looked up in time to see Sasuke flying over their heads. The girls on the shore howled with laughter after having obviously thrown the poor boy using their combined strength with Sakura's chakra-powered abilities.

Now it occurred to them what the unfamiliar noise was. It was Sasuke yelling. Come to think of it, they had never really heard him yell before, and they'd never heard him yell such a statement as what he currently proclaimed.

"What the heeeeelllll?" He barked until he hit the water with a huge splash.

All the guys fell silent for another moment, the only noise being the girl's roaring laughter in the back and the ripples of the waves caused by Sasuke's impact with the water. A moment later Sasuke emerged, soaked from head to toe, fully clothed, unlike the guys who had actually brought swimming trunks, and obviously pissed off.

Now that all this had set in, the boys initiated a peal of laughter so loud it even beat out the girls on the shore. Sasuke glared at them all, a wet and angry Uchiha. He started to make his way back to the shore.

Though the guys wouldn't quite let that happen. A moment later, Naruto and Kiba had jumped the boy, effectively dunking him into the water and keeping him down there.

The boys' laughter rang across the waters, but the girls had stopped. All of them stared ahead to where the boys held the submerged Uchiha. They knew something was coming.

A minute later the laughter of the boys was replaced with yelps and screams of sudden pain as chakra in the form of electricity sped through the water, getting all of them.

In a hurried, awkward fashion, all of the guys began to speed towards the shore to get out of the electrified water. Sasuke resurfaced with a content and vengeful smirk on his face. He set out at his own pace back towards the shore.

As Sasuke reached the shore with the rest of the guys, they all took notice of something else. Several little forms floated across the surface of the water.

Naruto squinted out across the water. "Are those…fish?"

Ino clapped slowly as Tenten giggled. "Well," Tenten stated, "looks like Sasuke fried some lunch for us."

"Poor fish…" Naruto lamented, and then he looked up cheerily. "Let's get cooking!"

A little while later everyone sat around a fire, all of them were munching on the fish they had gathered from Sasuke's earlier jutsu. All of them were together, drying off, chatting, and having a decent lunch.

Naruto picked at the remnants of his fried fish. "Is it just me, or do these fish kinda taste like Sasuke?"

"Well, he was the one who shocked them to death with his chakra." Sakura responded. "It's not too much of a surprise."

"Does this mean we're eating Sasuke?" Naruto questioned, looking over at his raven-haired companion. "Isn't that cannibalism?"

"So why question this _after _you've eaten the fish?" Sasuke huffed, his fish was finished and he sat with the two drying in the sun. "And how do you know what I taste like?"

"You see," Naruto began, placing his fish down and addressing his teammates, "in most people there is the ability to smell something and get a sense of what it tastes like. Right Sakura?"

Sakura nodded her head. "Yes, that's right."

Naruto nodded in response. "So, these fish taste like what you smell, thusly, they taste like Sasuke, and thusly, we are eating Sasuke-fish! And even more thusly…we are cannibals."

The blonds' friends stared at him for a moment, looked at each other, and then looked away.

"Whatever…" Sakura sighed.

"Idiot," Sasuke snorted.

Naruto stood up and gazed at the group sitting around the area. Everyone looked up when he stood, and waited for him to say something.

"Let's do something now! Work off those Sasuke-fish!" Naruto declared.

Everyone stared at him for a moment for his statement of "Sasuke-fish", but soon blew it off as Ino stood and agreed to his announcement.

"So what shall we do?" Ino asked.

"Hmmm," Naruto hummed, thinking of an activity. "Who wants to play hide-and-seek? Just like the good old pre-ninja days! Oh, oh! Tag hide-and-seek! Like the academy! Teaching little ninjas everywhere to search out and defeat enemy ninjas! That was a fun game! I always won!"

"Because nobody bothered to look for him," Sakura muttered to Sasuke. Sasuke nodded, seeming to remember.

"Let's play! Let's play!" Naruto exclaimed, ushering people to stand up.

Everyone stood and gathered around in a circle.

"Okay," Naruto began, "now, to decide who is it, we'll—" Naruto suddenly leapt forward, slapping his hand on Neji's arm. "Neji's it! Now face a tree and count to a hundred!"

"This will be easy with the Byakugan." Neji sighed, walked over to a tree, sat down, and began his counting.

Naruto waved his arms wildly as Neji began counting, urging everyone to find a place to hide. In seconds no one was to be seen where they had all once been gathered.

Sasuke made his way across the floor of the forest, having carefully masked his chakra so someone who wasn't masking theirs would seem more enticing for Neji to go after. He had never lost at this game in the academy, and he wasn't about to start.

His eyes scanning the terrain, he took a sharp left into a denser part of the forest. However, he hadn't expected to find that someone else had done as he had in masking their chakra, and was unprepared when he barreled right into them.

"Oof!" He heard the other person grunt as they hit the floor, and immediately he knew who it was.

Sasuke looked up and met the familiar jade-colored gaze of his teammate.

"Fancy meeting you here," Sakura stated casually.

Sasuke didn't know what to say for a moment, but then he felt Sakura's hand pushing on his chest.

"Mind getting off me?" Sakura asked in an innocent tone.

It took another moment for Sasuke to realize their position of him laying on top of her, and a second later he rolled to the side to join her on the ground with a barely audible "Sorry."

The two sat up, looking around at their location. They were in a bush.

Sakura made a motion to begin to stand up. "I'll hide somewhere—" but she was cut off when Sasuke yanked her back down to the ground by her wrist and pressed her against a tree next to their bush.

About twenty different things roared through Sakura's head when Sasuke did this, nine of them causing her face to suddenly turn pink around her cheeks, especially when Sasuke pressed nearer to her.

"Neji's coming." Sasuke whispered, which threw out around nineteen of the things that went through her mind.

Concentrating, she could in fact sense Neji's presence as he searched for them and anyone else. His chakra wasn't masked really, and she knew he was using the Byakugan to basically cheat through a game that's much harder for ninja without his powers. She and Sasuke both had their chakras masked, though, and she could sense three people in the area who didn't. They would be much more interesting for Neji to pay attention to.

A few minutes passed in absolute silence as they felt Neji's chakra gradually fade farther and farther away. When they felt him clash with another, they knew someone else had been caught.

Having to have waited for Neji to disappear, Sakura could take the suspense no longer.

"Sasuke," Sakura called.

The tone Sakura used when she called his name set off a sort of alarm in his head. It wasn't a casual call; it was something that indicated she was stressed. Why exactly, he didn't know for the moment.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in response.

"Now that the threat of being caught in an academy game is over for the time being, I would really appreciate it if I could get a bit of…personal breathing room."

Now Sasuke realized why Sakura felt so stressed. He quickly, while at the same time trying not to seem too surprised, released his arm from around her waist which he had done when he pressed her against the tree, took his head away from basically resting on top of hers, and made about two feet of space between them.

Sakura stood after another minute, brushing off the dirt and leaves that had gotten on her. She looked down at the Uchiha still situated on the forest floor.

"I guess I'll catch ya later, especially if I get caught. That record of yours can't hold forever." Sakura smirked, knowing of his unbeatable streak from the academy days.

Sasuke smirked back at her. "But you won't be caught intentionally, and neither will I."

Now Sakura smiled. "Right."

A moment later, both of the ninja were nowhere to be seen in their little meeting spot.

'"'"'"'"

"Haha! Once again I was never found!" Naruto cheered, waving his fists in the air triumphantly. Night had fallen, and now everyone gathered around a campfire eating dinner and chatting.

"Again, because no one bothered to look for you," Sakura muttered under her breath.

"I must be awesome or something! Do you think so, Hinata?" Naruto asked, turning to the shy girl who sat next to him.

"Oh, y-yeah." Hinata stammered.

Naruto grinned at Hinata's statement. "Thanks, someone here agrees with me!"

Hinata blushed and said nothing in reply, staring into the fire as she began to twiddle her fingers.

Sasuke watched the scene unfold beside him silently. Vaguely, he remembered back to his days as a rookie Genin, and he could remember Hinata's typically bashful nature becoming even more so when she was around Naruto. Her feelings were obvious to everyone except the blond they were about.

Looking around, Sasuke began to notice how all of the girls acted. Hinata was already explained with Naruto, Ino seemed to be closer to the dog boy, Kiba, than he ever remembered, and the older girl, Tenten, appeared to be pretty close to Neji.

Sasuke's eyes landed then, on Sakura. There was no particular person she seemed to be close to besides him and Naruto, as the other girls were occupied with the other boys.

The boys not occupied with a girl, however, seemed to have grouped together in their own ways. Choji and Shikamaru sat together munching on one thing or another they had roasted in the fire; they chatted idly just as they always had. Shino, as anti-social as he recalled, simply stared into the fire. Lee, left out of the little party formed by Tenten and Neji, was trying to fit in with Shikamaru and Choji. Then there was Sai, who sat alone scribbling into a notebook of sorts.

Sasuke's eyes remained on his replacement for a moment. His single, solitary figure reminded him a lot of how he was. Perhaps Sai even felt as he did, sort of out of place in an environment like this.

"And I bet the guys will back me up!" Naruto declared, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts.

"Really, then why don't you ask them?" Ino taunted.

"Okay then, who agrees with me?" Naruto asked, looking around at the boys.

"Neji and I agree with you Naruto!" Lee exclaimed, Neji a little ways off from the boy half glared at him for dragging him in.

"Yeah, I agree!" Kiba added, earning a slight glare from the blond girl beside him.

"I would think so." Sai muttered loud enough for them to hear.

"And I bet the Teme agrees with us too!" Naruto stated, turning towards his teammate.

"Agree with what, Dobe?" Sasuke questioned.

Before Naruto could explain, Ino spoke up. "You know what will happen if you're wrong, right?"

Naruto looked away from his teammate and towards the female blond. "Hit us with your best shot!"

"I'll tell you guys what to do when you lose!" Ino replied.

"Yeah right! Then we can make you do something when you lose!"

"You're on! Are you ready!"

"Bring it!"

Ino held up her hands and made a circular symbol with her fingers. "Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

A moment later Ino slumped to the side into Kiba who had his eyes on Naruto. A blank look was plastered to Naruto's face as he stared out into the woods.

Another moment passed until Naruto blinked, grinned, and then stood up. "Haha! I told him he couldn't beat out my Mind Transfer Jutsu! Only Sakura's been able to do it!"

"Aw man," Kiba moaned. "I thought there wouldn't be enough mind to control!"

"I didn't think he'd actually lose to it." Sai stated.

"I cannot believe it! We lost!" Lee cried.

Ino, still in Naruto's body, then got into a feminine pose. "Hello, my name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, long walks on the beach, and girls with long hair! And I think Hinata is sooo sexy!"

Most people in the circle almost immediately started to roll with laughter at Ino antics. Hinata lay passed out on the floor. The others seemed too shocked to react, or were holding down laughter.

Then, Ino held up her hands and released the jutsu. She came back to her body laughing like crazy while Naruto looked around blankly, unaware of what had just occurred.

"Wait…so we lost?" Naruto asked.

"Yes you diiid!" Ino sang. "Now, who were the boys who supported you?"

"Uh…there's me, Lee, Neji, Kiba, Sai, and the Teme." Naruto counted. Immediately things fell silent as he spoke. The boys seemed afraid of what was to come, and the girls leaned forward anxiously.

"Alright then, all of you!" Ino began. "Strip down to your boxers because it's time to take a dive!"

"Whaaat?" Naruto shouted. "But do you know how cold it'll be? We could get hypothermia or something!"

"I'm not telling you guys to swim, just dive in and come back out. You can dry off by the fire. Now strip!"

"All the comments Pervy Sage could have made…." Naruto sighed as he began to take off his jacket.

"Wait a minute, me and Uchiha never agreed to this!" Neji retorted.

"Because we agreed for you guys!" Naruto responded. "And thusly, you became subject to the consequences! So you and the Teme are in on it, too!"

"I don't think so." Sasuke declared.

"Awe, so is the Teme _scared_ to go jumping into the lake? Or are you still sour about getting thrown in it already?"

Sasuke glared at the blond. "I'm not scared, but I'm still sort of ticked about that. I'm not doing it because I wasn't a part of this to begin with."

"I think he's _chicken_!" Kiba exclaimed.

Sasuke glared at the dog boy who was already half stripped.

"Yeah! He's chicken! Chicken! Chicken!" Naruto chanted. Kiba and a few others joined in on teasing the Uchiha.

Finally, Sasuke snapped. "I am not! I'll go along with it if you shut the hell up!"

Naruto grinned and then beckoned him with a hand tauntingly to proceed in what the other guys were doing. _"That was easier than I thought." _The blond mused.

Five minutes later, the six boys stood lined up in front of the lake striped down to their boxers. Half of them were completely red in the face as the girls watching whistled and called to them.

"You are a genius, Ino." Tenten giggled as she looked down at Neji.

"Aren't I though?" Ino snickered. "Hey Sakura, you getting an eye full of Uchiha?"

Sakura's face reddened. "Shut up!"

"She didn't deny it! She's checking out those Uchiha undies!" Tenten howled.

"Hey, you were bound to see them some day!" Ino grinned. "Oh, if only Hinata hadn't fallen unconscious this would be so much more fun!" She then turned to look down at the boys. "Alright! On your marks, get set…dive!"

All six of the boys ran forward at Ino's command, and sent up a huge tower of water as they all splashed into the cold liquid. They resurfaced a second later, and all of them began scrambling towards the shore.

As they climbed onto the shore all the girls were clapping and whistling and making a bunch of noise. Sasuke punched Naruto in the head for bringing him into the whole mess, and then everyone retreated back to their camp.

Sasuke sat sullenly staring into the fire. He was fully clothed, though his pants were wet now, and just drying off. A few of the guys had followed his motion, and the rest sat still clad in their boxers.

From a tent, the girls brought out a pile of blankets.

"It's starting to get colder, and some of you still need some help drying." Ino explained as the girls began to pass out the blankets. "Double up people, we don't have many unless you wrap yourself in a sleeping bag!"

All around people began to wrap themselves in the blankets. Tenten shared one with Neji, Ino shared with Kiba, Hinata, though pretty red in the face, shared with Naruto, and the guys either shared or refused a blanket.

Sasuke sat by himself, watching everyone warming themselves, and then something touched him. He looked up and saw Sakura with a blanket draped over her shoulders.

"You won't be very happy sitting in the cold night with wet pants. You wouldn't mind if we shared a blanket?"

Sasuke said nothing for a moment, but then consented. Sakura sat down next to the Uchiha and momentarily put her arm across his shoulders to put the other half of the blanket around him. Then the two sat in silence looking into the fire as everyone else chatted idly.

"It's been nice, hasn't it?" Sakura asked.

"Hn, I guess." Then Sasuke reconsidered. "Yeah, it has." Aside from the humiliation of the lake incidents, he thought.

"I wish it was always this peaceful." Sakura stated. "But…I guess the life of a ninja won't grant any of us such constant luxuries."

"It's what we've given up in order to protect what's important to us."

At this Sakura looked up at Sasuke from the corner of her eye. Never before had she heard him talk of being a ninja to protect. For so many years he claimed his role to be that of an avenger, not a protector.

Sakura shifted her gaze back to the fire with a light smile on her lips. His statement, she thought, was true for a real ninja, and at the same time, it showed her that he was really coming back to being how she remembered him. He was transforming, gradually, back into the person she had fallen for.

In a relatively bold move, Sakura then leaned over and rested her head on Sasuke's shoulder. She felt Sasuke tense for a moment, not having expected it, but then he relaxed, accepting her motion.

Across the fire from the two, others had noticed their closeness, and it didn't take long for a whisper from Ino to start travelling around, just glancing away in time to keep the two from hearing. In the true spirit of matchmaking with friends, the group had already decided they were going to be together.

**(Insert angels singing…now!) I finally finished writing this! (More angels singing) You guys get an update! But the longer length of time between chapters will probably continue! (Angels have died…) …Yeah…the good news is I can write, the bad news is I am not writing very fast. I am writing on the fourth page I have written today, but this thing says it's 12 pages long. Those other eight pages took quite some time to make. I mean, it's kinda understandable because, holy crap, this is such an uberly long chapter, but it took a loooot more time than I thought it would! Hopefully though, I can write a little faster next chapter. I know how it'll start, I know what I want to have happen, and I know how it'll end. (Which, unfortunately for readers, it'll end on a cliffhanger, just as a heads up) But anyway, so hopefully I'll update faster next time. So till then!  
And last note, a big fat THANK YOU to all the people who sent encouraging reviews after I hit my little slum! It's because of you people (and you people know who you are) that I was able to even update this soon! :D **


	13. Approaching Shadows

**Chapter Thirteen- Approaching Shadows**

"Good moooorning everyone!" Naruto and Ino chimed cheerfully.

"What's got those two in such a good mood?" Sakura asked, looking over at Hinata whom she had shared a tent with.

"I-I don't really know." Hinata responded. In truth, she thought, they were probably excited because they were going to step into action about getting Sakura and Sasuke together, as she had been one to hear their whispers around the fire last night.

Sakura sighed. "Oh well, now that they've woken everybody in the campsite up, we may as well get ready."

Sakura and Hinata retreated back into their tent then to prep for the day. Everyone else who had been awoken from the two blonds' clamor followed their motion.

Ten minutes later everyone was situated in a circle eating breakfast, which consisted mostly of roasted marshmallows and dried fruit.

At one point Ino nudged Naruto's shoulder and secretively glanced over to the side. Naruto followed her gaze and grinned as he saw Sasuke offering Sakura a roasted marshmallow, which she accepted.

"Aren't they just adorable?" Ino whispered.

Naruto snickered under his breath. "Yeah, we should have done this years ago. Then maybe the Teme would have been less focused on revenge and more focused on a girlfriend."

"If only." Ino huffed.

After about twenty more minutes, everyone decided to begin packing up. By this time it was already nearing ten o'clock, so they would have enough time to pack, do a few more things, and get home just after noon.

Sakura and Ino worked together to take down the tents. While they worked, Ino kept a close eye on a particular person.

When she found the positioning to be right, Ino decided to enact her little plan.

Sneaking up behind her pink-haired friend, she waited just another moment before she suddenly shoved her in the back, causing Sakura to lurch forward. Caught off guard, she couldn't stop herself in time before she ran right into Sasuke.

In an effort to stay upright or at least break her fall, Sakura reached out with her arms before she realized Sasuke stood in front of her. She caught herself around his waist, and Sasuke's arms reactively wrapped around her to help, pulling her in around her midsection.

Trying not to squeal at the sheer adorableness Ino found the situation to be, she waved a hand in an apologizing gesture. "Sorry about that Sakura, I tripped."

When Ino had spoken, Sakura had yet to fully realize the position she was in. All she knew was she had caught herself on someone, and that someone seemed very familiar. Finally looking up, Sakura met eyes with Sasuke.

Then everything began to set in. Sakura quickly detached herself from her teammate, and took a step back, her face slightly flushed.

"S-Sorry about that Sasuke," Sakura stammered. "I didn't expect to, uh…"

"It's fine." Sasuke stated, and a second later he walked off to complete whatever task it was he had been originally doing.

Sakura turned away as Sasuke left, and didn't fail to notice a crack of enjoyment in Ino's features.

"Pig, you didn't _plan _that, did you?" Sakura questioned sharply.

Ino tried for a moment to hide whatever joy she had accidentally revealed, and shook her head in denial. "No, not me. I tripped, honest!"

Sakura frowned as she scrutinized her friend, but, finding it a lost cause to argue over it, set back to work.

'"'"'"'"

"Sakuraaa!" Ino called. "I have a great idea!"

"What is it, Ino?" Sakura responded, a bit of exasperation in her tone.

"How about we take a group of us and head over to get some ramen around dinner time?"

"Hmmm," Sakura hummed, contemplating. "You mean like take a group of girls for something to eat?"

"Actually, I was thinking of taking you, me, Kiba, Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke." Ino replied, adding a very subtle emphasis on Sasuke's name that Sakura didn't really catch.

"Oh…I guess. Is everyone else in on it?"

"Oh please, mention ramen and Naruto will be joining in a flash, Kiba and Hinata I bet would be glad to join us, and with you and Naruto coming, Sasuke's almost assured to come."

"Yeah, I guess you have a point." Sakura sighed. "Okay, let's do that."

"Excellent." Ino grinned, hiding just how great she found the situation to be.

About an hour later everyone left the campsite and went to their separate homes. The group planned to meet in a few hours, so for a while they had some free time to themselves. When the afternoon began to set in, the group formed and began to make their way over to Ichiraku Ramen.

"Ramen! Ramen! Ramen!" Naruto cheered enthusiastically. "Since we had gone camping I wasn't able to come here! I'm going to have five big bowls!"

"Okay, but you should know I'm only paying for the first bowls for everyone." Ino stated. "Anything extra you're paying for yourself."

Naruto laughed for another moment with excitement, but it slowly faded away as what Ino told him sunk in. He turned a pleading look towards his teammates. "Hey…uh…do either of you still have some money left from our mission?"

"You already spent it?" Sakura gaped. "How could you have—ramen…idiot. I'm not paying for you. You still owe me for the last time I did."

Naruto focused his pleading look on his raven-haired teammate. "Sasuke…my not-by-blood brother."

"No, Dobe." Sasuke grunted.

Naruto let out a defeated sigh. "But one bowl's not going to be enough…."

Hinata gulped, her cheeks reddening slightly. "I-I can pay…if you'd l-like, N-Naruto."

Naruto rounded to face the shy girl with a wide grin on his face. "You'd do that for me? Oh thank you, Hinata! I'll pay you back! I promise!"

"O-oh, y-y-you don't n-need to." Hinata's stammering worsened under the gaze of her crush, and she had to avert her gaze, cheeks flaring.

Naruto's head tilted to the side. "Are you okay Hinata? You look like you're burning up."

"I-I-I'm fine. R-really."

Walking behind the two, Ino shook her head.

"_And I thought Sasuke and Sakura were the ones in need of matchmaking service. I guess I could probably help these two as well." _

A couple minutes later, the ramen stand came into view. Naruto bounded over to his favorite shop and placed an order before everyone had even arrived.

"I'm going to laugh when he dies from over-consuming his ramen." Sasuke huffed as he took a seat.

"And then hell will freeze over because the Teme actually laughed." Naruto shot back.

"Tch, hell will freeze over when you get a brain, Dobe."

"Oh, will you two stop?" Sakura interjected. "We're here to have a nice time."

The two glared at each other for a moment, and then turned to focus on other things.

A little while later everyone sat eating their own bowls of ramen. Naruto had already worked his way through three, and seemed to be contemplating a fourth bowl while at the same time considering Hinata's kindness in paying for the extra bowls. He didn't want to eat his way to her being broke. This fact didn't escape the eyes of the people with them.

"_They're so cute…" _Sakura thought. _"If it was anyone else, Naruto probably wouldn't care about throwing them into potential bankruptcy." _

"_Hinata is so obviously into Naruto," _Ino mused, _"and Naruto's the only one who doesn't realize it, even though I think he's finally starting to notice her. Hee hee." _

"_Tch, and the Dobe calls me socially retarded. He can't even tell the Hyuga girl's interested in him." _Sasuke huffed mentally.

Sakura looked into her bowl, it was just about finished, but her stomach told her it wouldn't be enough. She sighed under her breath as she pulled out her wallet to see if she had enough to pay for a bowl.

She tried to hide the frown that reached her face when she realized that she had left most of her money at home. She didn't have enough on her at the moment to pay for another bowl.

"_I guess I'll just wait till I get home to eat something else." _Sakura thought to herself. _"Though another bowl does still sound nice…."_

Sasuke watched the kunoichi from the corner of his eye as she had pulled out her wallet and frowned. He glanced at her near empty bowl and understood what she was thinking.

"Go ahead and get a bowl, Sakura." Sasuke told her.

Sakura's head whipped to the side towards her teammate when he spoke.

"Say what?" She asked.

"I said," Sasuke repeated, "go ahead and get a bowl."

Sakura blinked. "But I—"

"I'll pay for it." Sasuke interjected. "You're hungry…so eat."

"But I mean—" Sakura began to retort.

"Consider it payback for lunch." Sasuke interrupted once more, ending it with that.

Sakura said nothing for a moment, but, deciding to accept her teammates' kindness in the form of payback, she turned and called to the owner to place a new order as she finished off the last of her first bowl.

As her new bowl was prepared, Sakura smiled at Sasuke. "Um…thanks, Sasuke."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, staring off to the back of the stand.

Sakura gazed at the Uchiha for a moment more until her bowl was set in front of her. She turned to begin eating her food. At the same moment, Sasuke moved his hand casually to hide the contented smirk that crossed his face; he was actually glad to help out the female of his team.

The whole ordeal didn't go without notice, though. From the other side of Sakura, Ino had a cheerful grin on her face. She now not only had evidence of the two having possible further feelings for each other, but now she had a discussion topic.

"Oh, and when did you two go out to eat lunch?" Ino prodded.

Sakura turned to her female best friend with a scrutinizing look. It wasn't what Ino said, but how she said it. It almost sounded like she was accusing them of having gone on some secret date.

She swallowed a mass of ramen before she replied. "Pig, it wasn't anything special. It was after we had come home from our mission. Sasuke had been cooped up in the hospital for a long while, so we took a walk and got some lunch and I paid. That's all."

"That's _all_?" Ino declared with a pressing tone, but then she sighed. "Right, okay. But you know, adulthood is creeping up on all of us fast. I mean, we're 17, we're less than a year off from being 18, and then we'll be considered adults! No more living under the roof of mommy and daddy. You've gotta fend for yourself!"

"Where are you going with this, Ino?" Sakura huffed, casting a small glance towards Naruto and Sasuke. Both of them already lived by themselves since they had no parents to speak of anymore.

"Well I mean, when you think about it, adulthood and living on your own means you have to pay for everything yourself. Except in cases like this where your friend treats you. It's always easier to pay for things when you have _help_."

Sakura knew what her friend was talking about now, and tried to get out of having to go through the conversation by sticking a wad of noodles into her mouth.

"Don't try to avoid it, Sakura." Ino chided. "It's a true fact. I mean, I'm already planning out my adult life. I'm going to move out and settle in with someone, probably my boyfriend, and some of the pressures of life will just be lifted off me like only paying for half of all that I need. I'm just saying that you should really start thinking about these things."

Sakura let out a sigh. "Who says I haven't? And could we not have this conversation right now? We're here to hang out, not plan for things that are still so far off."

Ino pressed her lips together, trying to devise a reply, but seeing Sakura focus more intently on her ramen, she shoved it aside. She had still succeeded. Sakura was starting to think about what she had said. Then, glancing behind the pink-haired girl at the Uchiha on her other side, she had to hide a grin; her bringing it up now to get Sakura thinking wasn't her only piece of the plan. Sasuke had heard every word, and now it would haunt his mind as well. With any luck, it would also start to sink into Naruto and Hinata. She had no thoughts about Kiba; after all, _he _was her current boyfriend.

After Sakura finished her bowl, everyone who had offered paid for whatever they had to, and then it was about time that they all headed home as the last light of the sun disappeared behind the village walls.

Sakura began to walk down her own path home when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Sasuke making his way down the same path as her, headed straight for her.

"Oh, Sasuke," Sakura breathed, "don't you live over there?" She gestured to her right in the general direction she knew his house to be at.

"Hn, I'm not allowed to come this way?" Sasuke responded.

Sakura shut her mouth as any reply she may have had flew out of her mind. "Oh…well, yeah…I guess you're right." She muttered as Sasuke reached her and began to pass her.

Sakura turned and watched Sasuke continue down the road. He stopped a couple steps later and looked over his shoulder at her.

"Come on," he called, "I'll walk you home."

Sakura's cheeks felt hot, but she couldn't tell if she was blushing or not. Sasuke continued to stare back at her, waiting. Finally she took in a deep breath to steady her temperature and began to follow after him.

"Sure…."

'"'"'"'"

The walk from Ichiraku Ramen to Sakura's house was nearly a ten minute walk. As they neared her house, Sakura's only concern was that now Sasuke had about a fifteen to twenty minute walk ahead of him in the dark alone to get to his own house. She felt almost guilty for it. He had been doing so many nice things for her lately, and she'd done virtually nothing.

The two came to a stop in front of Sakura's house, and Sasuke stood before her for a second as he waited for her to move towards her door.

Sakura didn't move, and Sasuke looked down at her with a slightly perplexed expression.

"Sasuke," Sakura spoke, "I…uh…I mean. I don't know how to express…um…you've been…really nice to me lately."

Sasuke blinked, and seemed to understand what she was trying to say. "It's no big deal."

Sakura gazed up at him. "But it is to me. I mean, I've done practically nothing for you in return. You put up with being with me so much, the little things Ino seems to be trying to pull, you paid for my meal and you've walked me home. I just…don't know how I can return the favor to you."

As she finished speaking Sasuke surprised her when a light smirk came onto his face, and suddenly, he came forward, put a hand reassuringly on her shoulder, and put his lips lightly to her forehead.

"It's the least I can do for the one I care so much about…since you've waited for me, and still kept loving me, for so long."

Sakura's breath caught, and she didn't know what to say.

"Sakura," Sasuke began to call as he loomed closer to her.

Sakura stared up at him with a dazed expression.

"Sakura." He called again. "_Sakura._"

Sakura blinked, and all of a sudden Sasuke was farther away from her than she remembered, and he had almost an annoyed look on his face.

"Spacing out?" Sasuke inquired.

Sakura blinked again, and then her face lit up involuntarily as she realized what had just happened was a daydream conjured up by her own mind. "O-o-oh! Yeah, I guess…sorry."

Sasuke regarded her with a puzzled look at her reddened features. Sakura turned to the side, taking subtle but deep breaths to regulate the temperature in her face again.

When Sakura faced Sasuke again, he gestured behind her. "We're at your place."

"Uh," Sakura breathed, turning around to face her house. "Oh yeah…."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Um, yeah, I guess." Sakura responded, still a little dazed from her reverie. "Uh…thank you for…walking me home."

"No problem." Sasuke replied, and then turned to head back down the road where they had come.

Sakura watched her teammate as he disappeared down the road for a little while. When he was gone, she turned and entered her house.

Down the road, Sasuke made his way back to his house. Nothing in particular was going through his mind. When he took walks it was usual for him to just forget about the world for a minute and just relax.

He took a turn down an alleyway as a little shortcut to his house. Darkness loomed around him, and the looming buildings added to that.

Suddenly, all of Sasuke's senses sharpened as a familiar presence suddenly revealed itself to him.

From the blackest areas of the shadows, a figure stepped forward. Sasuke's eyes widened and his Sharingan immediately activated.

The figure raised a hand in a sign of peace. "Calm down, Sasuke. I won't fight you here."

Sasuke took a cautious step backwards as the person came nearer. Drawing a step closer, a ray of light from the full moon above them illuminated the man.

"It seems you've become quite lax after returning here." Madara sneered. "But that softness…will make you listen to my proposition."

**Dun! Dun! Duuuuun! And once more the story has come into a dramatic turn that will lead us to some ninja action! (And ultimately a step closer to SasuSaku.) Whew…man, I've still been working pretty slowly. I've finished this just a little while (well now it's a lot of time later…I probably would have gotten this out an hour ago, but I've been having an intestinal battle the whole time I've been proofing this with a couple burgers I think were cooked incorrectly….) before I'm going to proof it and send it to you people to read and go "damn it! Update soon! Madara's here! What's going to happen? Okami-chan you bastard! Not more cliffies!" Fwahaha. I'm so evil…and actually it's not getting better. There's a lot more cliffhangers to come! Have fun people! Muahaha! Till then! **


	14. Propositions

**Chapter Fourteen- Propositions**

Sasuke glared at Madara. "What are you doing here?"

Because of the mask, Sasuke couldn't tell if Madara was smiling or not, but the tone of his voice led him to believe he was. "Weren't you listening? Then again, you've never been that good at listening to others."

Sasuke's glare intensified as he made a small step backwards. If someone saw him with Madara, he didn't know how people would take it; it could lead them to believe he was still a traitor.

Madara chuckled lowly. "Don't you worry; I've set up a genjutsu on the area so no one will see us. Now, about why I'm here. I have a proposition to make."

"And what makes you think I'm going to sit back and listen to you?" Sasuke spat.

"Well," Madara sighed, "I figured that you would…considering that I've found that soft, weak spot on you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think you know. That girl, the pink-haired one, she's your teammate, isn't she? I remember seeing her once when she and a group of your other friends were out looking for you. I'd hate to see something terrible happen to her on your account."

"Sakura," Sasuke muttered. "Don't you dare threaten me with her."

Madara's one visible eye narrowed with delight. "Sakura, what a pretty name. Well, if you listen you won't have to worry about her, now will you?"

Sasuke remained silent, glaring down the old Uchiha.

Madara took it as a sign to go on. "Now, you can imagine my surprise when I found your old team Taka, but I didn't find you. They told me they thought you were dead, and that you all had been attacked by a couple of Leaf ninja. It wasn't that hard to put two-and-two together, and it also wasn't that hard to find you."

"How long have you been watching?"

"Hm, let's see…I first spotted you back when you and your little team were returning from that mission that landed you and the Kyuubi vessel in the hospital. You sure spent a lot of time with Sakura between now and then. I thought it was quite sweet when you shared a blanket with her, paid for her lunch, and walked her home." His voice grew almost mocking with every word.

"Get on with why you're here." Sasuke growled.

"Temper, temper. It won't do you any good. But I guess I'll do as you ask." Madara suddenly sounded serious. "It really upset me when I found that you had deserted us to come back here. I thought you wanted your revenge on all these people for what they did to Itachi."

"I've come to a different sort of understanding." Sasuke responded lowly.

Madara shook his head. "That's what I thought. But you see that doesn't exactly go with my plans."

"And why should I care what goes with your plans and what doesn't? I don't care what you do, just leave me out."

"Oh, but _you're _a factor in my plans. Much of the things I wish to accomplish cannot be done when you're on the side of the enemy."

"Well that's too bad."

Madara glared at the teen before him. "Then I guess it's too bad that something will have to befall your precious pink-haired comrade."

Sasuke's fists clenched at his sides and a growl formed in his throat. "Why don't you use someone else to do your dirty work?"

"Because you're an Uchiha, a superior being compared to most of the other people around here."

"You're an Uchiha as well, why don't you do it yourself?"

Madara grinned behind his mask. "Now where's the fun in that?"

"Sick bastard." Sasuke seethed.

"Now, I'll cut to the chase. You have two options Sasuke. You can either come with me and continue to be of use, or you can stay here, grow weaker and softer, and…never see Sakura again."

"Or," Sasuke hissed, "I could kill you right now." Blood began to pool under Sasuke's eye as he activated the Amaterasu.

"I wouldn't do that, Sasuke." Madara spoke up.

"And why shouldn't I?"

"Because I'll release the genjutsu, and then you know what may happen."

"I'll take that chance."

"Fine, then what if I told you that Sakura's already in my grasp? All I need to do now is give a signal."

Sasuke froze, but then took a step forward. "You're lying. I just saw her."

"Yes, you saw her _outside_ of her house. Did you ever consider that someone working under me could be _inside_ though? All I need to do is give the word and her head could be off within two minutes."

For a moment the two stood frozen in a stalemate as Madara's words sunk into Sasuke. Finally, Sasuke wiped off the blood under his eye and glared full power at Madara.

Madara sighed. "I can see there are still some debates going on within you. Think on it. I'll be back tomorrow night." Madara began to disappear back into the shadows. "But just remember," he hissed as he faded away, "I can snap that girls' neck at any given second. All you have to do…is deny me. Heh, heh, heh, heh…."

As Madara disappeared Sasuke slammed his fist against the wall beside him. Above a light turned on, illuminating the alleyway, checking what the noise was about. Sasuke let out a hiss through his teeth as he slipped around the light and hurried to his house.

"_Madara, you bastard." _

'"'"'"'"

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Teme! Teme! Guess what?" Naruto cheered loudly in front of his friend.

Sasuke looked at the blond with an expressionless face. "What?"

Naruto stopped when Sasuke spoke and gazed at the Uchiha with a perplexed expression. "What's got you, Teme?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, looking away. "Nothing."

Naruto blinked, and seemed as though he was about to make a reply, but he brushed it aside and replaced his confused expression with another big grin. "Me and Sakura are going to go down to the lake today. You're coming with us!"

At the mention of Sakura, Sasuke immediately thought he shouldn't go. He didn't know if he could bear being in the same presence as Sakura without Madara's threat ringing through his head.

"No." Sasuke answered, turning away from the blond.

"Whaaat?" Naruto whined. "But why? It'll be a lot of fun!"

"I have something else to do…."

"What are you doing? It's not like there's anything for you to do in town without us. Why don't we tag along with you then? That'll be fun!"

"No." Sasuke responded, a little more forcefully.

"Come on!" Naruto pressed. "It'll be more fun if you come! Sakura will be happy!"

Sasuke averted his gaze to the ground, trying not to look up at the blond.

"Come on! Don't make me start begging! I will beg! Or annoy you till you say yes, whatever works."

Sasuke stayed silent, and Naruto got down onto his knees.

"Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please, Sasuke! Hang out with us! We need some quality Team Seven time! Please!"

Sasuke's nails began to dig into his leg at Naruto's begging. Finally, he sighed. "Okay…."

"Yay!" Naruto exclaimed happily. "Come on! Sakura's probably already there!"

Naruto reached and pulled Sasuke forward, urging him to follow the blond in the direction of the lake.

As Sasuke began to follow after Naruto, a sinking feeling came into his stomach. He was unsure what kind of effect seeing Sakura would have on him, especially since he hadn't really made a decision as to what he was going to do just yet.

Whatever happened, Sasuke thought, he supposed it was a good idea to enjoy himself for the time being.

'"'"'"'"

"Hey! What took you guys so long?" Sakura called to the two boys as they crested the hill that led down to the lake.

Naruto waved his arms wildly above his head in greeting. "I had to beat the Teme up before he agreed to come!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's lie, but didn't say anything about it as they reached the spot by the lake that Sakura had situated herself.

Naruto plopped down by the shoreline and stared across the water for a bit.

"It's been a while since we've been to this lake." Naruto stated.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed.

Sasuke said nothing as he sat down with them and looked around the lake. In the distance, he could see a dock. It was the same dock he used to sit at as a child, back when his only fear used to be losing to Itachi when he finally got an opportunity to kill him. However now….

Sasuke shut his eyes. He didn't want to think about the bitter things happening. If he did, Naruto and Sakura would probably notice, and think something was up. Besides, negative thoughts wouldn't let him enjoy the time he was having with his team.

He opened his eyes back up, and involuntarily, they landed on Sakura. She gazed out across the water like Naruto, unaware of his look. The light smile on her face brought a sort of pain to Sasuke's chest. Thoughts of Madara won over, and reality flooded back in. If Madara was telling the truth, the three of them were probably being watched right now. And also, if he said no to Madara's deal, he, nor anyone else, would ever see Sakura smile again.

A feeling like guilt sparked in the Uchiha. He was an idiot, he thought, he should have known better than to think just coming back to the village would break his ties to the people on the outside. If he had just kept a little more distance from Sakura, then she probably wouldn't be in this situation.

But, he continued to think, he doubted he could have remained so distant from her. He enjoyed her personal company, and probably wouldn't have felt so at ease if she hadn't been as close as she was. She meant a lot to him, he admitted, more than he realized, but he still felt unsure of just what level she measured to him. Was it even possible he could feel something more for the kunoichi? He wondered.

Sakura, seeming to finally sense Sasuke's eyes on her, turned and met eyes with him. They held each other's gaze for a moment, and then Sasuke looked down at the grass.

Sakura didn't miss Sasuke's expression, it almost looked pained, and something in her became worried when he suddenly looked away. She glanced to the side to see Naruto blissfully unaware of the little moment. She turned to peer back out at the lake. She wouldn't press on it. They were here to hang out, and she didn't want to ruin the peaceful moment the three of them shared.

Inside Sasuke felt a sort of turmoil. Going with Madara meant Sakura would be safe and all he'd have to do is follow orders. Staying meant she'd be in danger, and she'd probably end up killed. He could always stay by her and keep her safe, maybe even track down this guy who was tailing her and beat him, but then if Madara found out and got involved….

"Hey Teme!" Naruto beckoned, snapping the Uchiha out of his thoughts.

Sasuke looked up as he was called, and was greeted by a wall of water coming straight at him. The water hit him dead on in the face, and he reactively jerked backwards.

Naruto's laughter rang around them. "Gotcha!"

"Dobe," Sasuke growled, his previous turmoil pushed to the back of his mind for a moment as the present came back to him.

Naruto laughed for a while longer until he heard something rustling below him. He looked at the ground and let out a sharp yelp as he saw a snake hissing by his leg.

"Holy shit!" Naruto cried, and suddenly he fell backwards into the lake.

When he resurfaced, the snake was casually crawling back to Sasuke who had a vengeful smirk on his face as the snake then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Gotcha," Sasuke declared mockingly.

"That wasn't very nice!" Naruto responded as he pulled himself out of the water. "All I did was throw some water at you! You didn't have to force me into the lake!"

"It was your own fault for falling into it." Sasuke replied.

Naruto glared at his teammate, and then started to shake himself like a dog, splattering water all over the place.

"Naruto," Sakura chided. "Cut it out!"

"Sorry Sakura." Naruto apologized. "That was meant to hit the Teme."

Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto sat back down in the grass with his teammates.

Silence fell between the three ninja as they all gazed out at the lake. It was a refreshingly clear day above them, with an occasional light wind blowing their way.

At one moment the wind picked up, and Sasuke, being downwind, caught Sakura's scent. Once more he looked over in her direction, and again he got a guilty and pained feeling inside him as thoughts of the deal pushed to the front of his mind once more.

As they came, however, he mentally shook himself. It was really no time for him to be thinking of such negative things. His eyes searched around for anything that could occupy his mind, when suddenly Naruto began to speak.

For the next half hour there was a conversation led mostly by Naruto and Sakura, occasionally with moments where Sasuke would speak. It was actually a fairly nice time, Sasuke admitted to himself, and a good way to get his mind off of the current events. Just sitting there and being with his friends was very calming in a way, even with the impending danger of Madara looming ever closer as night came.

Finally, Sakura looked up at the sun and stood up. "Well, it's been nice, but I think we should start thinking about heading out. It's almost dinner time."

Naruto leapt onto his feet. "Yay! Time for ramen!"

Sasuke stood up after the two without a word.

Naruto waved his hands expressively. "Well then, I'll see you guys later! We should do this again some time!"

"Yeah, sure," Sakura agreed, and started to turn away as Naruto began to bound off. "See you guys later."

Sasuke stayed still, watching Sakura go for a moment. He desperately wanted to stop her, to tell her to be careful or watch out, or give some kind of warning to any coming danger in the form of Madara's lackey watching over the kunoichi for a signal to attack. But, he thought, that would give away that he may be leaving, and if she tried to stop him, not only would he be marked once again as a traitor, but she'd be in greater danger than she was now. It was better to stay silent.

Finally, Sasuke turned on his heel and began to make his way back to his house.

'"'"'"'"

The sun was just disappearing behind the village walls when Sasuke came upon his house. He strode over to his door, unlocked it, and walked in methodically.

Sasuke went into his kitchen for a moment to get some water. When he retrieved his glass he left and entered his living room.

Sasuke froze at the sight before him as he came into the room.

"Ah, Sasuke," Madara greeted him, sitting casually in one of the chairs in the living room. "You should really learn some precautionary techniques, starting with locking the door after you've entered your house at nights."

Sasuke glared at Madara. "You're early."

Madara shrugged his shoulders. "Did I give a specific time saying when I would appear again? I just said I'd be back tomorrow night. It's tomorrow, and night has basically fallen."

Sasuke made no reply, and simply stood still against a wall, cautiously protecting his back from any possible attack.

Madara let out a sigh, knowing what Sasuke was doing. "So do your cautionary techniques mean that you are going to reject me? You're going to throw away the life of your precious comrade?"

Sasuke grit his teeth for a moment, and looked down towards the floor.

"I just don't know if you're going to try to kill me now or something. I wouldn't put it past you." Sasuke announced.

Madara waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry. I have no reason to kill you right now. The death of your friend will surely be a torture worse than your own. That is…if you are denying me. What _is _your decision, Sasuke?"

Sasuke fell silent and glared down at the floor. After another moment he looked up at Madara.

"Fine…I'll go with you."

**Well, you people are probably all wondering why I have re-posted this chapter. Well, it was kinda explained if anyone read the notice at the top or that I changed the summary you get in that "new chapter" alert which both stated "chapter fourteen has been revised." Though now you probably wonder "why did you revise it?" well…thanks to a very nice reviewer, they pointed out that many things in this chapter needed…work, basically. It left a lot to be desired other than the next update, so I picked myself up and re-wrote this chapter. (Which now looks better to me, and hopefully better to my honest reviewer friend.) And…well, that's about the only other reason I have. Did this make the chapter longer or shorter? I'll have to check that. I think it's about the same length. I deleted some stuff and added some stuff in so…we'll see. Now till the REAL next update! Which will be soon! Anyway…till then! **


	15. Last Time

**Chapter Fifteen- Last Time**

Madara grinned behind his mask. "Very good. You made a wise decision."

Sasuke said nothing, staring at the ground, refusing to look up at the man who forced him into leaving the village once again.

"I'll get ready." Sasuke stated in a hollow voice.

Madara raised a hand. "No need to start packing just yet."

Sasuke's eyes shifted to look at the man behind the orange mask with a questioning stare.

"You see," Madara began, "it wouldn't be very wise of you to leave right now. We need to do some…finishing touches before you leave. If you just up and left, what do you think would happen?"

If he just up and left, Sasuke thought, there would probably be a situation just like the last. They would find out, and they would either send a tracking team, or an assassination team. Either one would be a problem.

"What you need to do," Madara went on, "is convince your friends that you're being sent on a mission. By the time they'd figure out you actually left, then we'd be hundreds of miles away. Get it?"

Sasuke nodded, understanding.

"So go off tomorrow and have fun with your friends. It'll be the last time. Remember to tell them you're going on a mission, and I'll be back tomorrow night at midnight so we can leave."

Sasuke nodded again.

"Oh, and also," Madara declared, "don't tip anyone off about your true intentions. If you do…Sakura is still in my grasp until we're officially out of the village."

Sasuke had to try hard not to say anything, and simply nodded his head once more. "Fine, I got it."

"Good." Madara laughed. "I'll see you then."

A second later the chair was unoccupied. Madara had transported himself with the Mangyeko, Sasuke thought offhandedly. He walked forward and took a seat in the chair opposite where Madara had seated himself.

"Bastard," Sasuke growled under his breath, "I can't believe he played me so easily…but there's nothing I can do…."

'"'"'"'"

"Just when I thought you couldn't get stupider…." Sasuke sighed exasperatedly at his blond-haired teammate.

"Oh, live a little, Teme!" Naruto chirped, turning the flashlight in his hands on and off in front of his face.

"When was the last time you washed these sheets, Naruto?" Sakura asked, holding a hand over her nose in emphasis. The three of them were bunched together under sheets in Naruto's house with the lights off. He had told them he had a surprise for them, which for some reason required that they get under the smelly blankets.

"Um…is that a trick question?"

"Oh god…. Why didn't you just wait till night for this?"

"Because the Teme said he wanted to get some sleep rather than run around with us because he has a mission tomorrow."

Sakura turned to her Uchiha teammate. "A mission? Without us?"

Sasuke averted his gaze to the ground, he had already informed Naruto of the "mission" he was being sent on, but had yet to give the alibi to Sakura. "Yeah, I guess Tsunade is doing it so she can seriously test my trustworthiness. Either that or she finally trusts me."

"I bet she trusts you." Naruto stated. "I mean, you're an idiot who betrayed us once, but you know if you do it again you'll get your ass handed to you by me!"

"Is that supposed to be sarcasm?" Sasuke grunted.

"Are you supposed to be such a jackass?"

"Oh, just drop it guys." Sakura huffed. "So why in the world have you decided to drag us under a bunch of sheets that smell like you and rotten ramen?"

"I thought he always smelled like rotten ramen." Sasuke muttered.

Naruto shot a glare at his male teammate, and then turned to Sakura with a grin. "It's all part of the surprise!"

"Well, we're all here, why don't you get on with the surprise?" Sakura inquired.

"All in due time, my friend. First off," Naruto shined his light in Sasuke's face, "why don't you explain this mission to us, I'm curious."

"Oh, yeah, why don't you?" Sakura urged.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted a little surprised, he had never really thought of all the details of his "mission". He had expected them to believe it and just move on. The only reason he was even there under the smelly blanket was because he wanted to spend the last day with his friends, having a lighthearted time; in part because he had to give the excuse, but also because he wanted to be there. Now he had to come up with something. Soon, an idea came to his mind. His silent moment of contemplation, however, didn't go unnoticed by the kunoichi next to him. "I'll be going to the Land of Lightning."

"Land of Lighting?" Naruto echoed. "But doesn't the Kage there like…hate your guts?"

"Which may be why I'm being sent there; the work I'll be doing has a close relation to the higher ups of the village. She may want to show them that I'm trustworthy." Mentally, Sasuke gave himself a pat on the back for coming up with a mission and an explanation on the fly like that.

"I see," Naruto hummed. "I still wish she'd send us with you. Do you know who's going with you?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "She said someone would be coming with, but she didn't specify who. I'll be meeting them tomorrow morning, and I should be gone before you guys even wake up."

"Which is why we are doing this now," Naruto declared.

"Will you get on with telling us what 'this' is?" Sakura questioned.

"Okay, okay, now that the Teme has stalled for time." Naruto shone the light under his head, giving him a creepy shadow on his face as he spoke his next line. "We're gonna tell ghost stories! Muahaha!"

His two teammates stared at him with looks between disbelief and boredom.

"Seriously," Sakura declared, "that's what this is about?"

Naruto nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah, see, last night I was watching a scary movie, and when it ended, I had this like…urge to gather us all together and tell ghost stories!"

Sakura shook her head. "You are unbelievable…."

Naruto grinned. "I know, I'm awesome!"

"I don't think that's where she was going with that comment." Sasuke interjected.

"Well no one asked you. Okay, so who wants to go first? Me? Okay, okay, I'll do it. Okay." Sasuke and Sakura exchanged incredulous looks. "Okay…so check out this story. You should know…it's a true story. This seriously happened."

Sasuke and Sakura blinked, seeming uninterested yet paying attention at the same time.

"Okay, so one night, someone was walking down the road. Let's call him…the sixth Hokage." Sasuke and Sakura both rolled their eyes. Ignoring it, Naruto went on. "It was ten o'clock at night, and he was hurrying over to Ichiraku Ramen for a bowl of late-night heaven. But when he got there, horror befell him…it was _closed_!"

Many sarcastic remarks went through the minds of the blonds' teammates, but they said nothing as he continued his story.

"But the horror does not end there…. With a saddened sigh, he turned and started to head for home. The night was crisp, clear, and you could have heard a pin drop twenty feet away. So…when the sixth Hokage suddenly heard a noise behind him, he went on high alert!"

Sakura's face displayed a bit of interest, but still she felt a little skeptical about her friend's story.

"He looked around, but he couldn't see a thing. Still staying on alert, he continued his trek home. Now, being the sixth Hokage, his skills were the best in the village, and so he found it odd that he could not sense the chakra of the thing that seemed to be following him."

"Is it just me, or is this story exaggerated and biased?" Sasuke murmured.

"Shut up!" Naruto snapped as Sakura held down a giggle. "Ignoring the peanut gallery…. So the sixth Hokage was confused and curious. Could it be a normal civilian following him, and that's why he couldn't sense any chakra? I mean, he is loved and revered by everyone in the village. It was probably a fangirl."

Sasuke opened his mouth to make a comment.

"Peanut gallery!" Naruto snapped. "Finally, his house came into view. His pace quickened slightly as he anticipated getting home and just making some instant ramen for himself. He came up the steps to his house and started reaching for his keys, but, damn, they fall out of his hands and onto the floor. He reaches down to pick them up, and when he stands back up…he was face to face with none other than—"

Suddenly, the covers flew up into the air behind Sasuke and Sakura. The two whipped their heads around and were greeted by the distorted features of what looked to be a zombie.

"It was the zombie ramen delivery man come to take his noodle-y revenge!" Naruto exclaimed.

Caught off guard, Sakura let out a shriek as she saw the thing. Sasuke froze for a moment in shock as "Shit!" tumbled from his mouth. Then he reacted, and in an instant he had pushed his foot up and caught the creature full in the chest, sending it tumbling backwards, and then it disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sakura gaped at the place where the creature had vanished, and then turned her head as Naruto burst out laughing.

"That—was—_priceless_!" Naruto howled. "Oh! The looks on your faces! Hahahaha! Teme, you looked like you dropped a load! Hahaha! Oh, I'm going to remember that forever!" The thing that had come and scared them had obviously been a clone Naruto had cast before he began his story, transformed to look like a zombie.

"Naruto!" Sakura chided, a tinge of embarrassed pink on her face. "That wasn't funny!"

"Oh yes it was!" Naruto chuckled. "Ah, that probably would have been even better in the real dark of the night! Hahaha!"

Sakura glared at her teammate as she stood up. "I wish you were going on that mission instead of Sasuke! It'd be quieter for a while!"

"Oh, come on Saku—eh, where is Sasuke?"

Sakura blinked, and then looked around the room. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

"Sasuke," Sakura called, "where'd you go?"

Not very far away Sakura and Naruto picked up the noise of a door closing. They looked at each other for a moment, and then headed quickly for the door.

Outside Sakura and Naruto ran to catch up with Sasuke.

"Sasuke, wait up!" Sakura called.

"Hey, if you're pissed off or something, I'm sorry! It was just a joke!" Naruto declared.

The two caught up to their teammate and they all stopped in the road.

Sakura looked up at the Uchiha. "Why'd you leave? I mean, yeah, what Naruto did was stupid, but—"

"It's not that." Sasuke interjected, not looking at his two friends.

"Then what was it?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke didn't respond. Truthfully he had left because he was suddenly hit with the reality that in a few hours, they'd never be like that again. They'd never all be together, having fun or bashing on Naruto. The realization made his heart drop, and he didn't want his teammates to see it in fear that they could figure out what was wrong with him, which would mean they could figure out he wasn't really going on a mission tomorrow.

Mentally Sasuke cursed, it was becoming harder and harder to face the reality of leaving them the more he was around them. From the corner of his eye he saw Sakura gazing at him with a concerned look that he hadn't said anything yet. The longer he was there, the longer Sakura was in danger, he thought. With that notion, his resolution solidified again, and he sighed.

"I'm going home." He told them.

Sakura and Naruto looked confused.

"What?" Naruto whined. "But why?"

Sasuke's hand came up and rested on the side of his head. "I'm just…tired. I want to get some rest."

His teammates stared at him, concern and depression in the eyes, but they made no retort.

Sasuke turned. "I'll…see you guys later."

Though inside he knew it was a big lie.

Sakura watched the Uchiha as he grew farther and farther away from them. He was acting so strange, she thought. Something was definitely off about him, she just couldn't figure out what.

"Well, what do we do now?" Naruto asked.

Sakura turned to face her blond friend. She threw on a smile. "Um…how about we go get some ramen?"

Naruto's face broke out in a grin. "Yay! Ramen!" He immediately began to bolt off in the direction of Ichiraku Ramen.

Sakura's smile stayed on her face as she began to move to catch up with him, and then she froze. The smile faded from her face and she looked around.

"_And that," _Sakura thought, _"that feeling I've been having…. Like…I'm being watched…and not by something good."_

"Sakuraaa!" Naruto beckoned his friend from down the road.

Sakura focused her attention back up towards her teammate. "Coming!"

"_Sasuke…what's going on?" _

'"'"'"'"

Sasuke stared down at an old picture of Team Seven. Years ago, he thought, the first time he left he had done the same thing. He also thought offhandedly of how when he tried to leave Sakura had confronted him. That time she had found him because she had been monitoring the road in fear of his leaving, but now, he thought, she probably had no clue of what he planned to do.

Sasuke turned away from the picture and felt a presence nearby. He was sure it was Madara in his living room once again, waiting for him to come out so they could leave.

Following that thought, Sasuke exited his room, taking one last look inside before he shut the door. He entered the living room to find Madara was in fact waiting for him in the same chair he had situated himself in as last time.

"Ah, Sasuke, there you are." Madara greeted. "Are you ready to go?"

Sasuke said nothing, and began to move towards the door.

"Cheer up, boy. It's all for the better." Madara urged. "You didn't tip anyone off, right?"

Sasuke shook his head. "They all think I'm going on a mission…."

Madara smirked behind his mask. "Good. Let's go."

Sasuke opened the door and stepped out. Madara followed after him. He shut the door, but didn't bother to lock it. He wasn't going to be coming back, so he didn't care what happened to the furniture inside.

Madara waved a hand, gesturing for Sasuke to come over to him. Sasuke took a step closer and Madara grasped his arm. A moment later Sasuke could feel Madara channeling his chakra around them, activating the Mangyeko Sharingan.

Suddenly, his house, the ground, and the Leaf Village were gone. He blinked and found himself in the forest outside of the village.

"It's a little harder trying to transport two people." Madara sighed. "Come on."

Madara began to move forward. Sasuke stayed where he was for a moment and turned around. He could just make out the village walls a while off.

"Sasuke, are you coming?" Madara called after the Uchiha.

Sasuke glanced to where Madara had stopped on a branch. He took one last look at the village, turned, and then went to catch up with Madara.

'"'"'"'"

"Damn it." Sakura hissed. "Damn it. Damn it. Damn it."

Sakura gripped the frame of the door tightly as she cursed. At the corners of her eyes she could feel tears beginning to come forward.

"Damn." Sakura took in a shaky breath as the tears came slowly. "I'm too late."

Sakura let go of the door frame and took a step forward. She was in Sasuke's house, and it was already apparent that it was empty.

She came farther into the house, stopping to look down at a chair. She reached down and put a hand on the backrest.

"That's not Sasuke's chakra…" Sakura whispered to herself, "and I think I know whose it is…." She thought back to the hints of chakra left on the front porch, it was an exact match to the one who had been sitting in the chair.

In her mind, an image of a man in an Akatsuki cloak and an orange mask went through her head.

"Madara…he's the one who's been pulling the strings in the back. And now…he's come again."

Sakura looked up and saw through a window. It was nearly a full moon outside.

"I hope they haven't gotten too far." Sakura declared to herself. "If they have…it'll be much harder to track them down."

**Meh…this is a little…small. Sorry people. Miraculously filler stuff came into my mind, just not a whole lot. Maybe I can stuff in some more filler when I proof this over, but I'm not all that sure. So anyway…stuff! The next plot of the story is coming into motion! Man…the next chapter will need some filler-ish fluff too…sigh…I never realized how hard making repeated fillers were…. Hopefully I will survive. If not…well, suddenly this story will cease to have updates and Okami-chan will never be heard from again. (At least you people will know what happened.) …That's about all I have left to say. I mean, my authors' note in itself is a big-time filler that's usually about halfway relevant to the actual story. So I guess I'll see you all next chapter! (And I don't know if a message went out, but chapter 14 has been revised, check that out if ya like!) **


	16. The Search

**Chapter Sixteen- The Search**

"Naruto…Naruto…Naruto, get up."

"Ahh…five more minutes…please…."

"Naruto, this is urgent. Get your lazy ass up!" Sakura ordered. "Sasuke's gone!"

Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he whipped up into a sitting position so quickly he nearly hit Sakura. "What?"

"Sasuke…he's gone…." Sakura repeated.

"But I thought he wasn't leaving for his mission till tomorrow morning." Naruto replied.

"That's probably what Madara wanted us to think…so by the time we realized he was seriously gone they'd be too far away for us to catch up."

Naruto scrambled out of bed and got on his feet. "Madara? Wait…what exactly are you talking about, Sakura?"

Sakura sighed. "It's only a hunch, but I'm pretty sure that it's all Madara's doing. It was suspicious enough that Lady Tsunade was allegedly sending him on a mission without us, but earlier I also went by Sasuke's…and he was gone, but I could feel the traces of someone else."

"Are you sure it wasn't some ninja Sasuke was going on the mission with?"

Sakura shook her head. "No…I'm near certain it was Madara's chakra. I haven't seen that much of him, so I'm not sure, but it adds up."

Naruto began to fumble around looking for his clothes. "Then we have to go get him! If Tsunade finds out then for sure they'll mark him as a traitor and then—"

"I know…that's why you're staying here." Sakura declared.

Naruto froze, his night shirt halfway off. He stared at Sakura for a moment. "What…? But…you're crazy! I'm going too!"

"No," Sakura stated more forcefully. "You'll stay here and make sure Tsunade doesn't find out about this."

"But why?"

"Because for one, Lady Tsunade will get suspicious if she notices that both of us are gone,"—Naruto opened his mouth to make a retort—"that's why you're staying here. Use a shadow clone and transform it into me whenever you need to. Make her believe that I'm still in the village. Also…it's too risky sending you to the place that's out to get you. We'd basically be delivering you into their hands…and we can't do that."

"But why do you have to go alone? Bring someone else! Get…take Sai with you! Kiba, Neji, Lee, someone! Just don't go alone!"

"There's not enough time for that. If I want any chance of catching up with Sasuke, I have to go now."

"But—" Sakura gave Naruto a look, and he shut his mouth. He'd never seen her like this. Though her plan seemed pretty good, he could see her fear. One misstep and Sasuke could be labeled as a traitor, or she could even lose her life. Even so, she put on a tough face as she prepared to track down their friend. "What are you going to do when you find him?"

Sakura's tough exterior seemed to crumble for a moment as she realized this crucial part of her plan. What would she do when she found Sasuke? She didn't believe he was really doing this with his will, she expected he was still hesitant, so maybe it wouldn't be too hard to change his mind. But the real problem lay with Madara. He was an Akatsuki member, and a devious one at that, never before caught by them, nor defeated. He would be a big problem.

"I'll do something." Sakura answered. She glanced at a clock in Naruto's room. It was nearly two in the morning. "I have to go. Remember the plan. Make sure Tsunade doesn't know I'm gone. Call in and say that I'm sick. And don't tell anyone about this. Got it?"

Naruto's face looked grave. He couldn't hide that he was deeply concerned about the whole thing. He wouldn't be able to stand losing both of his best friends in one move. However, he nodded his head and continued to dress himself into day clothes.

Sakura gave him a questioning look. Naruto sighed. "Do you think I'll be able to sleep knowing one of my best friends is going after my other one, with the worst case scenario being that one or both die while I sit by idly being the diversion?"

For a moment, Sakura's face softened, and she understood just how much staying still would trouble the blond. She took a couple steps forward and pulled Naruto into a hug.

"Don't worry." She said. "I'll come back with Sasuke no matter what. We'll both come back alive. I promise."

Naruto smiled, returning her hug, feeling her determination and the weight of her promise. "Right…you beat some sense into the Teme, and you come home alive. It's a promise."

Sakura let go of her friend, gave him a reassuring nod, and turned to leave through the window.

A couple minutes after Sakura was gone, Naruto let out a huge sigh.

"Sasuke…you're one lucky bastard. If you don't realize that soon…I'll never forgive you."

'"'"'"'"

Sakura ran through the forests as quickly as she could. She didn't know when exactly Sasuke and Madara had left, and so had no idea how much time she had to make up, but she was determined to catch up to them.

A long way ahead, Sasuke and Madara made their way along the edge of a town, moving stealthily and trying not to be seen.

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder, they had been travelling like that for two hours, and it didn't seem Madara was going to let them stop until they were even farther away.

"_The good thing is," _Sasuke thought, _"with us so far away from the village, Madara's lackey has left Sakura alone now." _

Thinking of his teammate brought back his memories of the village. Right now, everyone should be tucked away in bed without a clue of where he was, and in the morning when they woke up to find him gone, they'd think he had already left for his mission. Everything would have gone according to Madara's plan.

Inside, though, something felt off in the Uchiha that didn't have to do with the fact that he was being dragged back out of the village against his will. An image of Sakura came to his mind that he quickly shook away.

"_No, she's safe in the village. I'm sure of it." _

'"'"'"'"

"Have you seen two men, one tall, with dark hair, and the other in a black and red cloak and an orange mask?"

"Hmm, no, can't say I have." The clerk responded.

Sakura let out a sigh as she began to turn away. "Thank you anyway."

"Miss," the clerk called out, "I really do suggest you take a rest here in our hotel. You look exhausted."

Sakura shook her head, rubbing her eyes which were already getting dark circles under them. "I'll be alright. Thank you, though."

Sakura left the hotel and let out another sigh.

"_I really am exhausted…." _She thought. _"But I can't let up. I need to cover as much distance as possible."_

She reached into her back pouch and pulled out a sack. She opened it to see one small pill at the bottom.

"_I used up most of the soldier pills I had when me and Naruto had gone searching for Sasuke…and I forgot to re-stock. I can't use this until I know I'm about to find them…and I can't rest or else I may lose any chance I have in the first place."_

Sakura put the sack away and looked down the road. She was in a small town. The sun was just beginning to rise. She had been going for about four and a half hours straight with so far not a single lead as to the location or general direction her teammate was headed.

She scowled, Sasuke and Madara had obviously passed by the little town during the night, making it unlikely anyone had really seen them, and even if they did, they probably wouldn't have been able to recognize their features, making her asking of their descriptions near useless. There was also the possibility, she thought, that they skirted around the town or even went in another direction.

Her heart dropped a little. As the minutes ticked by it was becoming harder and less likely that she'd find them. For a brief moment she wished she had asked someone like Hinata or Kiba to come along, not only for the help of tracking, but for the company. She was completely alone in her search.

"_I'll head to the next town," _she thought, shaking off the images of her friends that rose to the front of her mind, _"where it's more likely someone could have been out in the very early morning and spotted them."_

With that thought, Sakura took off down the road, out of town, and towards the next place.

'"'"'"'"

"Hm," Madara hummed, staring up at the sky.

Sasuke stooped into a resting position on a branch next to the one Madara had situated himself on and followed the man's gaze to the sky. "What?"

"It's going to rain soon." He declared.

Sasuke scrutinized the early morning sky. Through the trees he couldn't see any clouds. He looked over at Madara with a questioning stare. "What gives you that notion?"

Madara shifted his gaze to the younger Uchiha. "When you've seen as much as I have, you come to know the signs of a coming storm. Now come, we'll stop for the day. This rain is good. It will wipe away any trace of our trail so we'll be impossible to track by the time the Leaf Village becomes aware of your absence."

Sasuke said nothing, nodded his head, and an instant later the two were gone; in search of shelter from the coming rain.

As the two went on their way, Sasuke glanced over his shoulder. Once again he had that strange, indescribable feeling from before. At first he had thought he was sensing Madara's lackey who had been watching Sakura following after them, but it hadn't made much sense to him why they wouldn't have just caught up to them. The feeling came and went randomly, and still he was unable to figure it out. He considered asking Madara, but every time he was about to he shut his mouth, thinking better of it for some reason.

In the back of his mind he came up with an answer, but it was the one answer he didn't want to be right.

'"'"'"'"

"Um, yes, I'm not feeling all that well…alright…yes, I know…tell Gr-Lady Tsunade that I'll be back in as soon as possible…. Alright…thanks, bye Shizune." Sakura hung up the phone and looked out the window. "Now that that's done…."

In a puff of smoke Sakura disappeared and in her place now stood Naruto.

Still gazing out the window, Naruto let out a big sigh. "It's only the first day…only the first day…there's still plenty of time."

Naruto moved and went to his kitchen. Opening a cupboard, he pulled out a cup of instant ramen. He placed it on the table and stopped, staring down at the Styrofoam cup.

A few moments passed, and then Naruto sat down at the table and pushed the ramen away from him. He put his arms on the table and put his head down.

"Sakura…have you caught up to Sasuke yet? Are you on your way back with him?"

Naruto fell silent for a few straight minutes as he stared at his table top.

"Now I know how Sakura felt back when we went after Sasuke the first time…how in the world did she survive this…? It feels worse than pain…this tension…."

Naruto then slammed his fist against the table, causing the cup of ramen to rattle, fall over, and roll off the edge, falling onto the floor with a clatter.

"Please guys…come home soon…."

'"'"'"'"

"Sorry, I can't say I've seen anyone." The lady answered.

"Oh…alright…thanks anyway." Sakura replied, turning to leave the store where she had been questioning the woman.

Sakura exited the store and gave out a huge sigh. She gazed up at the sky. It must have been around ten o'clock, and she could see clouds beginning to block out the blue sky above.

She rubbed her eyes and held back a yawn. She was completely exhausted; with only enough energy to ask the people of the town she was in if they had seen Sasuke and Madara. She contemplated between taking the soldier pill or stopping to rest, but every time she did she'd shake her head and tell herself to keep going.

Sakura began to walk towards another store, a wavering hope in her heart that maybe someone in there would have spotted the two Uchiha's on their way.

In her exhausted state, she failed to notice someone walking in the opposite direction, and rammed into their side.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Sakura apologized.

"You have much turmoil inside of you right now." The person replied.

Sakura blinked, not quite understanding what the man had said to her. "What?"

"Inside," he echoed. "You are troubled…you are searching for someone very dear to you."

Sakura stared at him. "How did you…?"

The man, who wore a cloak around him, lifted a flap to the side to reveal a grass headband. "I am a ninja, well versed in psychological arts. When you bumped into me, I could sense all those things in you. Tell me…what troubles you so?"

Sakura stayed silent for a moment, natural ninja's caution coming over her. But, finding that he meant to help her, she told him the story of how Sasuke had left and how she was looking for him. When she finished the man said nothing for a while.

Finally, he spoke. "So…Sasuke…he's an Uchiha, correct?"

Sakura nodded her head, looking down at the ground. The two had shifted during her story to a bench next to the store she had emerged from earlier.

"And he's traveling with a member of the Akatsuki?"

Sakura nodded her head again.

"I think I know where he is."

Sakura's head whipped up to the man so fast she could have given herself whiplash. All traces of her exhaustion seemed to evaporate from her as she focused intently on the man beside her. "Say what?"

He looked forward, gazing down the road that led through the town. "Early this morning I had been out near the forest. I could sense them before I could see them. Two interesting people. One was focused, going straight towards where he wanted to, while the other seemed…scrambled, filled with a number of different, conflicting emotions. When they came into view, I could see that one wore a black cloak with red clouds and an orange mask, and the other had dark hair and a distinct Uchiha symbol on his back. I hid behind a tree, and they passed without even noticing me."

For a moment Sakura stared blankly, unbelieving that this man could be real. She blinked, wondering if she had simply fallen asleep. But when she realized he was real, she could hardly contain the relief that washed over her.

"Where is he?" She asked.

Suddenly the man's face became grim. "You intend to go after him?"

"That's why I'm here." Sakura replied, thinking it was obvious.

"And you're sure you'll be successful?"

Sakura flinched back like she had been slapped. "What do you mean?"

"Are you sure you can take him back? Aside from their mental states, I could also tell their strength. I'm telling you honestly that the Akatsuki man is in much better shape, and much stronger than you are. If he tries to stand in your way, which I am certain he will, you could easily be killed, especially with the state you are in right now." He explained.

Sakura suddenly felt the urge to slap the man. Her next words came out sharp and bitter. "I will kill Madara if I have to, and I can do it, too. I will bring Sasuke home."

"You're letting your exhaustion cloud your rational mind, as well as your own personal thoughts. You may think you could take him right now, but in reality, even you doubt it."

"I have a soldier pill. I was saving it until I found where Sasuke was. Once I'm back up to speed from its effects I'll be strong enough for it."

The man shook his head. "Miss, try to think rationally. Do you honestly believe that you can defeat Madara?"

Sakura froze, and finally began to truly contemplate what she was being told. She had defeated an Akatsuki member before, Sasori, with the help of Chiyo, sure, but now her foe would be Madara, an Uchiha who more likely than not was much stronger than Sasori. Suddenly, she began to question her own resolve. _Did _she have what it took to bring Madara down? She began to wish that Naruto had come with her.

The man stood up. "I have a couple more questions for you."

Sakura looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

"What does Sasuke mean to you?"

Sakura blinked, staring at the man as if he had just spoken to her in a foreign language. "What does he…mean to me?"

The man nodded.

She took a moment to think of her response. When she answered, she kept eye contact with him. "He's very important to me. My…my best friend. One of my best friends. I…" she looked down, she didn't know if she wanted to express to the man just _how _much Sasuke meant to her.

The man shut his eyes; it was obvious he could tell what she really meant. "And just how much are you willing to go through to get him back?"

Sakura's mental resolve built back up when the man asked his question. She lifted her head to stare him straight in the eye when she answered.

"I would do anything I could. Even if I have to fight all of the Akatsuki at once to get him back."

The man smiled at her answer, and motioned for her to stand. "Come then, we'll head to my place."

Sakura had stood at his gesture, but shrunk back when he said they were headed to his place. "No, I need to get going. I need to—"

"There's no need to worry. A storm is coming and they are still in the area. The storm will last a few hours, so at least take a couple of those hours to eat and rest, to give you even a fraction more of a chance to get your friend back."

Sakura gazed at the man, nodded her head, and followed him down the road.

"So, Sakura, do you like lentil soup?" He asked.

Sakura replied with a positive response, and continue to trail after him.

"_That's strange…." _She suddenly thought. _"I don't think I remember having even told him my name…." _

**Ahahahahaha! You people are probably wondering why I just laughed so much. Wellll…I just thought of a plot twist! Well, a minor one, but it will get you people going "ohhh!" and maybe even "I knew it!" and at this point I may be saying too much. Anyway, so I finished this chapter! Yay! This next two weeks will go in segments of four! Four day week, four day weekend, four day week. (Though next week we have testing…bleh.) Annnnnd…that's it. Not much else to say. Till the next chapter! **


	17. A Little Tip Off

**Chapter Seventeen- A Little Tip Off**

Sakura crept stealthily along the walls of a dark cave, careful not to make a sound. She peeked around a corner, finding the way clear, and stepped around to the next passageway.

After a moment, she heard something. It was the crackle of a fire. She couldn't hide the smile that found its way onto her face as her excitement and nerves skyrocketed. She took a silent step forward, then another, and another until she was on the edge bordering her natural-made corridor from the one the cave inhabitants occupied.

She tried her best to see around the corner without being noticed, and had to contain her joy when she saw a familiar shape sitting with his back towards her facing the fire with no one else around.

Taking a bold move, she stepped out into the open. "Sasuke, it's me. I've come to take you back."

Sasuke didn't move for a moment, didn't even seem to react when she appeared and started talking. Sakura took a step forward.

"Sasuke, I—" but the words were lost in her throat, replaced by a gasp as Sasuke turned to face her.

It was Sasuke, but on his face was Madara's orange mask. His Sharingan glowed behind the one seeing-hole available, and in Madara's voice he proclaimed, "Leave, and don't come back."

A scream tore through Sakura's throat, and she thrust forward, her eyes snapping open.

She could hear the echo of her screech rebounding back at her off the walls of a small room. She looked around frantically for Sasuke, but only saw the usual garments of a guest room around her.

Finally everything came back to her. She was in the house of the Grass Ninja who had told her he had seen Sasuke and Madara. Looking around for a clock, she saw that she had only been asleep for an hour. Outside, she could hear the patter of rain hitting the wall.

The door opened, and the man poked his head through the crack. "Are you alright? I heard you scream."

Sakura stared at him for a moment, and then nodded. "I just had a bad dream." She stood up out of bed, smelling food in the air. "How much longer will the storm go?"

The ninja thought for a moment. "I'd say another hour or so. Come, have something to eat. You're just in time."

Sakura came forward at his invitation, and followed him through a hallway out into a dining room where bowls of soup had already been set. Taking a seat in front of a bowl, she immediately began to eat, the smell making her realize how hungry she was.

The man sat in front of the other bowl on the table, but didn't touch his food. Sakura peered at him over the rim of her bowl, but blew it off and kept eating.

When he finally moved to start eating, he froze. "Oh, I forgot something." He stood and began to move past her in the direction of the kitchen.

Sakura put her bowl down, the soup halfway finished. She sat there in thought. In a little bit, she'd be heading off to get Sasuke back. She was so close, she thought, that if she really concentrated she believed she could pick up the faintest sliver of his chakra.

She shut her eyes as she heard the ninja's footsteps coming back to the dining room from the kitchen. When she opened her eyes, she saw he had a sort of spice in his hands.

"Personally," he stated, "I quite like this seasoning, it makes everything taste better. Though most others aren't very fond of it for its extreme spice."

Sakura frowned; she had never liked spicy things. She watched as the man sprinkled the substance into his bowl, and finally began to eat.

Finishing her meal, Sakura leaned back in her chair. "Thank you for the food."

He waved a hand dismissively. "Always glad to help a fellow ninja."

"Really?" Sakura piped, leaning forward and propping her elbows up onto the table, her fingers intertwining in front of her face. "So how many ninjas have you killed with your poison?"

The man's eyes widened in shock and he looked up swiftly at the kunoichi. "Say what?"

"And that 'spice,' I would assume it's the antidote, seeing as you didn't touch your food till you had put it in. You only waited for a bit to make sure I had eaten some, right?"

The spoon in his hand had frozen in midair with a scoop of his soup, he lowered it carefully back into the bowl, not taking his eyes off of Sakura.

"You're very clever." He sighed. "What tipped you off?"

"Well," Sakura began, "I thought it was strange from the start someone could deduce so much about me just because they were 'well versed' in psychological arts. Of course, it really tipped me off when you addressed me by my name, when I never even remembered giving you my name. The rest you see before you."

The ninja's head nodded very lightly as Sakura spoke. "Looks like I was a tad too hasty…and hadn't planned as well as I should have."

"Who are you working for?" Sakura questioned, a sharp, business-like edge creeping into her voice.

The man smirked. "Who do you think?"

"Of course, I figured. So…am I wrong to assume you were also the one watching me back in the Leaf Village before Sasuke left?"

The ninja almost looked surprised. "My, you really are a perceptive one. I wonder if this is why Madara had me watch you."

Sakura smiled. "I was dubbed the most analytical of the original Team Seven. I'd be thought a fool if I hadn't noticed."

A tense silence fell between the two.

"So," Sakura drawled, "how long do I have? The poison was subtle, but not untraceable. You need to work on your poisoning skills. I've dealt with many poison-makers of a much higher skill than your own."

The man scowled, but not with distaste. "Let me think…it depends on how much you move around. Could be two days, could be as little as 20 minutes."

"Then I'll make this quick."

The man's eyes narrowed, and in the time of a second, he had thrown a hidden kunai knife. Sakura shoved her feet against the table, sending the chair and herself toppling backwards as the kunai flew over her head where her throat had been.

With lightning fast moves, Sakura rolled to the side and threw a kunai in return. The man ducked in time, but Sakura was already on him. With a front hand spring, her heel slammed into the man's back, and he hit the ground with a hard thump.

Something touched the back of the man's neck, and he could feel Sakura sitting on him, pinning him down with a kunai at his neck. She reached up, taking the man's bowl of soup in her hand.

"I hope you're wrong that this stuff is spicy. I can't stand spicy things." Sakura huffed nonchalantly, picking up a spoonful of the man's neutralized soup. She downed a few spoonfuls, and with a contented sigh, put the bowl away. "I have to commend you though, you're quite the cook, and I have to thank that it is in fact not spicy."

Under her, the man growled. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Well, first off I want Sasuke and Madara's location if you don't mind. I'll decide what to do to with you from there."

"And if I refuse?"

"Do you know who my mentor is?"

"…If I am correct, it should be the Fifth Hokage."

"Bingo, and do you know some of the things she's done to and taught me?"

"Why should I care?"

Sakura grinned as her past with Tsunade flashed through her mind. "Oh, you're going to care."

'"'"'"'"

"A little while north of here in an abandoned mine by the mountainside. Thank you very much." Sakura smiled sweetly, heading for the door.

"Wait a minute! What's going to happen to me?" The man called.

"Hmm, well, when the real owners of this house snap out of whatever genjutsu you put on them and come back to find you, maybe they'll release you. But then again…" Sakura walked around the living room for a moment until she found what she was looking for. Grabbing hold of the notepad, she scribbled something down on it, pulled off the message, and stuck it to the man's forehead. "When they read this they should follow it, then you'll have something to do."

The man blinked, the message covering most of his face. He could see through the paper to read what she had written:

_Dear owners of the house,_

_Sorry for the mess! Please call the police and have this man arrested for attempted murder and breaking and entering into your home while he had you under a genjutsu. _

_Sakura Haruno_

_P.S. If you'd like me to fix your hangings, just send a letter to the Leaf Village and ask for me to come by. Thank you! _

"What the—?"

"Now, now, you be a good boy, and try not to scream too much. It may attract unwanted attention, and this could become bigger than you want it to be. Have fun!" Sakura called as she left the house.

The man stared at the paper in front of his eyes and tried to shift without success. He had been tied to a pillar by some iron hangings on the walls that Sakura had twisted and bent into rope that he could not break.

"Crazy bitch," he growled, "that's some monster strength. Damn Leaf Ninja…."

'"'"'"'"

It only took half an hour to find the old mine, and when she did find it, she knew Madara and Sasuke were in there, as she could sense their chakras inside.

"Sasuke..." Sakura muttered. She reached into her back pouch and pulled out the small bag with the soldier pill she had looked at earlier. Popping it into her mouth and crunching on it, she felt power surge through her veins. "I'm coming."

Inside the mine it was dark. She could barely see in front of her. Her steps were a little louder than she'd have liked, squishing as rocks stuck to the bottom of her wet shoes. Her clothes and hair stuck to her from the rain, and she felt almost sticky from the stuffy atmosphere that slowly closed in around her as she went farther and farther into the cavern.

When her shoes dried and stopped making as much noise, she began to make out a light coming from a bend in the mine. Walking as stealthily as she could, she stuck to the wall as she inched closer to the light.

The light, of course, was a fire, and now she could see two shadows cast by the flames. She could make out who was who without difficulty. Then, she could pick up a conversation they were having.

"We'll be moving out after the storm ends." It was Madara.

"Hn, I know." Sasuke replied.

Silence fell. Sakura's heart beat so loudly in her chest she was worried the two men could hear it. She took a quiet gulp, running strategies through her head that would be the best ways of jumping in.

"We're still about a day away from the hideout," Madara announced. "When we get there, I want to discuss with you in detail the plans I have for our attack on Konoha."

Sakura's eyes widened. _"Attack on Konoha?"_

Sasuke sounded surprised. "You never said we were going to attack Konoha."

She could hear a laugh in Madara's voice. "I thought you wanted to destroy the Leaf Village."

"I used to." Sasuke responded sharply. "I don't have anything against them anymore. Just leave them alone."

"Oh, so you don't want to avenge your beloved brother, Itachi?"

"I told you before that I've come to a different understanding. Itachi wished only to protect me and the village, so I will honor what he wished."

"Really…heh, that village has turned you soft in the course of only weeks."

Sakura's fists clenched. Her mind was in the final stages of making a strategic decision of what she should do.

"It's not softness." Sasuke responded. "It's just a new way of seeing things."

"Really? Well then…prove you're not soft." Madara declared. "Why don't you greet our guest?"

Sakura's blood ran cold as she realized Madara and Sasuke had already known she was there.

She could hear hesitation in Sasuke voice. "What do you want me to do about it? She's already heard our conversation."

"That's why," Madara's voice was cold and serious, "you kill her…to prove you're not soft, and to keep this information from leaving this cave."

Sakura's heart pounded so hard in her chest she thought it would burst. She heard no one move.

"Well," Madara goaded, "do it…or I will."

Sakura's muscles tensed, ready to move at the slightest indication that she was going to be attacked. Still, no one moved.

"Fine," Madara spat, seeming almost exasperated that he had to do the work, "I'll do it."

It happened so fast Sakura hardly had time to react. Madara was in front of her, his palm open and arm pulled back like he planned to lash out and grab her face. She could see the Sharingan blazing behind his mask.

His hand surged forward, and Sakura ducked, rolling to the side out into the clearing Madara and Sasuke had been seated in. Her head whipped to the side and she saw Sasuke sitting, his back towards her, but his head turned to face her. She was suddenly hit with the memory of her dream, and she almost forgot about Madara until he was over her.

Sakura pulled out a kunai and held it up to catch Madara's approaching hand, but his hand went right through it like the kunai wasn't even there. Her eyes widened in horror as she remembered that to be one of Madara's abilities, and she couldn't move fast enough to dodge. He caught her by the hair and held on tight.

Madara's other hand came and grasped Sakura's hand which still held her kunai. He jerked it out of her hand and pointed it at her.

"Foolish girl," he hissed, "did you really believe that you stood even half a chance against me? I've been preparing for this since you started following us last night. I didn't expect that you'd have caught on so fast. Your perception is quite impeccable, but your heart was ultimately your downfall."

Madara turned his head to look at Sasuke, who only sat and stared at the scene in front of him.

"See what happens, Sasuke," Madara declared, "this is what happens when you grow soft…your heart clouds your judgment, and you become like this one. Talented…but misled."

Sakura looked between Sasuke and Madara, unsure of what would happen before Madara tried to drive her own kunai through her.

Sasuke still sat there, doing nothing, not even responding to Madara's words. Sakura could feel her heart cracking. Had she been wrong? Was he here willingly? Or had he just stopped caring about her? She shifted a little, testing how strong Madara's grip was. It was solid.

Madara let out a heavy sigh. "You're still confused, aren't you? You don't know yet where your loyalties lie. Well," he gripped the kunai in his hand tighter, "let's just remove one of the places where loyalty could dwell to make things a little easier on you."

The kunai surged forward, Madara's aim going straight for Sakura's head. With an adrenaline-rushed move, Sakura whipped out another kunai and lashed out at Madara's arm that held her.

He did exactly what she expected. The kunai sliced through where Madara's arm appeared to be, but fell through like nothing was there. In that same exact instant, Madara's grip on her hair was gone, and she rolled to the side, escaping the kunai just a hair's breadth from striking her.

Sakura scrambled to her feet and got farther back from Madara, keeping her eyes glued on the Akatsuki member.

Madara chuckled. "That was some very quick thinking."

"That's the way of the ninja." Sakura responded. "Think quickly or die."

"True, very true." Madara nodded his head. "Now, how about we settle this?"

Sakura reached a hand back towards her weapon pouch. "Gladly."

"Oh," Madara sneered, "do you actually think that you can beat me?"

"I sure do." Sakura answered. "Or I'll die trying."

"Well then, looks like you're going to die."

"We'll see about that."

An instant later, Madara disappeared. Sakura flew to the ground to avoid his grab at her from behind, and swept a leg under him. It made contact, but he only stumbled back a few steps as Sakura vaulted off the ground to stand back up.

Without a moment of hesitation, Sakura arched backwards to avoid a kunai aimed at her chest. It stuck to the wall behind her, and she ripped it out and threw it back. The kunai sailed through Madara like he wasn't even there, and he came at her. She threw herself at him with a chakra filled fist, and soared through his body.

"Bastard," Sakura growled, annoyed by his ability.

"That's tactic." Madara chuckled, swinging a kick at her. He clipped her side, and Sakura fell back a bit.

Madara was already there. He wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled out a kunai.

"This is over." Madara muttered in her ear.

"You wish." Sakura growled, and suddenly, she sank her teeth into his arm.

Madara howled, and struck at her with his kunai. It wasn't aimed, though, and it merely dug into her side. Sakura whined with pain, but didn't let go of his arm.

With a hiss, Madara was forced to let her go. Sakura jumped out of his range and spat.

"You taste awful." Sakura commented, pulling the kunai out of her side. "And after so long of just being able to transport your real body elsewhere, you have a low tolerance for pain."

Madara chuckled, a low and sinister laugh. "You really think so? Well how would you react to find that I've been going easy on you?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't be surprised."

"And you shouldn't be, little girl." The voice came from behind her.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock as Madara appeared. She barely had time to turn around until a terrible sting seared across her collarbone and more pain came to her chest. She fell backwards with a gasp of agony. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Her fall felt like it took an hour; the register of what had happened to her didn't come until she had already hit the ground. With one kunai Madara had slashed in hopes of getting her neck, but instead it landed a deep gash across her collarbone, and in reply with his other hand, he had stabbed yet another kunai into her chest.

Sakura lay there, unable to move. She could feel her blood flowing over her skin, feel only the pain of the two attacks Madara had made coupled also with the earlier blow to her side. Each breath hurt, as the kunai in her chest stabbed at a lung every time she filled it with air.

Her head lolled to the side, and she could see Sasuke, still sitting motionless where he had before.

"Sasu…ke…." Sakura called, trying to reach her arm towards him, wanting desperately to touch him, snap him out of his trance. "Sasuke…you can't…go…." Sakura began to taste blood pooling in her mouth. "You…belong with us…. We…need you…Sasuke. Please…don't go…."

A terrible pain came over her, and she was suddenly tumbling over the ground, farther from Sasuke. The blood in her mouth splattered against the ground and stained her face as she came to a stop. Madara had kicked her away. She couldn't stop her eyes from beginning to slide shut.

"Sasuke…I…." Her last words were lost as she faded into unconsciousness.

"Annoying girl," Madara grumbled. "Come Sasuke, the rain should soon be done with. We'll head off and let her die here."

Sasuke still made no sound or move. He simply stared at Sakura. His mind clouded over with image after image of her. Sakura happy, sad, angry. Sakura crying for him. But never had he seen Sakura injured like she was now. He'd never seen her on the string of death.

"_Because," _he thought, _"I'd always been there to protect her."_

Finally, Sasuke's resolve came forward, and he stood.

"Madara…." Sasuke called, staring down at the ground.

Madara, who had turned to leave, now turned back to look at him. "What is it, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's head lifted, and the Sharingan flared to life in his eyes.

"I'm going to _kill you_."

**Hear the words scream! DRAMATIC! READERS! PISSED! OFF! CLIFF! HANGER! I don't know how people are reacting right now. Some are probably like "OMG! Sasuke's gonna kick Madara's aaaass!" some may be like "Yes! Sasuke still cares about Sakura! SasuSaku FTW!" others are probably going "God damn it, Okami-chan! A fucking cliffhanger!" while some may also be going "Oh noes! Sakura! Don't die!" And then a lot of you are probably a mixture of all these things. Hahaha. Oh, you poor readers. The good news is: I am writing quickly again! I just wrote nine of these ten pages here in this sitting! I don't know why, I was just inspired. Not even really inspired. I clicked on this document, started writing, and now here I am! And now here I should probably go to start writing the next chapter so I can get it out soon before readers try to mentally rip me to pieces. Heheheh…till then! **


	18. Source of Power

**Chapter Eighteen- Source of Power**

"I'm going to _kill you_."

Madara grinned behind his mask. "Are you now? So does this mean you're going to try and leave me again?"

"I'll leave your corpse, yes." Sasuke growled.

Madara's amusement only seemed to grow. "You've grown so soft, Sasuke. You don't stand a chance against me if you're so quick to let your anger get to you because one of your little _friends_"—Madara turned and slammed a foot into Sakura's side, flinging her farther away from the two—"got hurt."

"Madara," Sasuke hissed, angered that he still kept hurting the kunoichi even though she had already fallen unconscious.

Madara let out a chuckle. "Go on, attack me. Let that anger out. Fall into the dark abyss your friends worked so hard to pull you out of. It'll just bring you that much closer to me."

"No," Sasuke snapped, "I'm not like you."

"Are you? We've both done things, Sasuke, things that we cannot take back. We've both killed our brothers in the name of power; we both sided with the dark in an attempt to grow even stronger. You and I are quite alike."

"I said I'm not like you."

"Words mean nothing, my hot-headed junior." Madara chided. "It's our actions that hold the real meaning of who we are."

"So then I'll kill you and prove that I'm not like you."

"Really? Because I'd think killing someone because you didn't like them would be even closer to whom I am." Madara shook his head. "You're like your friend. Your thoughts are clouded by your heart. And that is why you won't beat me."

A tense silence fell between the two Uchiha's as they both sized the other up.

Suddenly, everything began to fade away in Sasuke's vision. Everything seemed to dissolve into blackness, leaving only Madara in his sights.

"You can't beat me Sasuke." Madara whispered before he also faded away.

Sasuke scanned the area with his Sharingan, keeping on alert.

"Sasuke," a voice called.

Sasuke eyes widened and he whipped around. Sakura was behind him.

"Forget about me. You'll only get yourself killed fighting against Madara. We're both going to die if you do this. Stay with the dark."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He whipped out his sword and slashed through the illusion Madara had made of the kunoichi. She faded away into blackness as he sheathed his sword.

"Trying to fool me with illusions," Sasuke spat. "I have the Sharingan too you know."

"Oh, I know." Madara responded, appearing at Sasuke's side.

Sasuke leapt away at Madara's appearance. Madara then turned to face the young Uchiha.

"But isn't this how many battles between Sharingan wielders start?" Madara chuckled lowly. "A battle of illusions to see who can best the other."

Sasuke glared at the elder Uchiha. In his mind, he saw the beginning of his battle with Itachi, which had been through illusions created by their Sharingan.

Sasuke smirked. If this battle went anything like his battle with Itachi, he was confident he'd win.

"Wipe that smirk off your face Sasuke." Madara declared. "I know what you're thinking, but you should remember that Itachi hadn't been at his full strength when he fought you, remember? He had been ill, and on top of that, he _wanted _you to kill him. I, on the other hand…"

Madara appeared again beside Sasuke, who moved once more to avoid him.

"I, on the other hand, will not hold back."

With lightning fast reflexes, Sasuke pulled his sword out in time as shuriken rebounded off the blade.

"Is that all?" Sasuke taunted. "You say you're going all out and all you do is throw a few measly shuriken at me? You underestimate my abilities."

In the blackness Sasuke could hear Madara laughing, but he made no other reply.

An instant later it was as if the ground had dissolved beneath him, and Sasuke was falling. His stomach churned as the feeling of being weightless came over him. Though his mind knew it was an illusion, the rest of his body disagreed. A yell came into his throat, but it wouldn't come out. He gasped as he came to an abrupt halt in his fall, only to feel as though he had landed in a tight space which slowly began to choke him.

"Madara…" Sasuke hissed. "Quit screwing around."

The tightness released him, and Sasuke felt the ground beneath his feet once more. Madara chuckled again.

"Oh, but it's so much fun." Madara stated jovially. "I just want to see you squirm around a bit more before killing you."

Sasuke glared into the darkness. "I said you're not going to kill me."

"And I said words meant nothing. You really are a terrible listener."

Sasuke heard it before he saw it, a rushing sound. Immediately before him now came a dark cascade of water. It swept him up with its surging power, drowning him. The water felt thick as he swam his way to the surface.

When he came up, Sasuke became aware of something. A familiar smell reached his nose, and he realized he was not swimming in water; it was a stream of blood.

"The blood flows," he heard Madara declare, as if reciting something, "from your comrades wounds, and soon your own. Foolish Sasuke."

"I've had enough of this." Sasuke snarled, and the mine rushed back to him, ripping him out of the darkness. Madara stood where he had before, his hunched shoulders showing his displeasure.

"I was having fun." Madara pouted as if he were back in his old character of Toby.

Sasuke frowned. "It gets old after a bit."

Madara heaved a sigh. "Maybe when you're the one in the jutsu. Controlling it is always much better…that sense of power you get. Able to control everything a person sees."

"I'm not much of a control freak."

"Yes, that's right. You're more of a…disposable pawn."

Sasuke grit his teeth as his hand loomed over the handle of his blade. "I've had enough of talking."

Madara chuckled. "Isn't it funny how the one who said he's not much of a control freak is now trying to dictate when the battle should start?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, his eyes focusing on the Akatsuki member before him. "The battle started as soon as I met you."

Sasuke lunged forward, his hand on the handle of his blade, ready to lash out and slice Madara in half.

Madara didn't move as Sasuke approached. Sasuke didn't care. Madara seemed to be going suicidal, as Sasuke's Sharingan confirmed that his target was the real body. He ripped his sword from its sheath and swung it to strike.

Spak!

Sasuke was frozen solid. Unable to move a muscle. His eyes stared forward, unbelieving for a moment.

When it became apparent that he was facing reality, horror flashed across his features as he saw the cloaked man who obviously grinned behind his mask.

"Surprised? You really shouldn't be." Madara announced.

Sasuke could still hardly move. Before him was Sakura. Madara had swept up her body before Sasuke had even noticed, and had used her as a human shield. Sasuke's sword cut into her side, just below where Madara had given her a wound earlier. Her eyes were still shut, unconscious and probably still unaware of what had just happened to her.

He had seen Madara's intentions just a second before he had made impact. He had had enough time to keep himself from slicing the kunoichi in half, but the damage had still been done.

A terrible feeling gripped the young Uchiha. He had touched Sakura less than a handful of times with the intent to hurt her. Now, he had hurt her when he hadn't even meant to, and by far it was the worst thing he had ever physically done to her.

Sasuke's first reaction was to grab her and make sure that she was okay, but he had to fight that urge down. If he went for her right now, Madara would get him with no problem. His second thought he took action on. He pulled the sword out of her, almost unable to contain the feeling of nausea that came over him when he heard it sliding out of her with a sickening squish. Then he backed away quickly, and glared full-force at the masked man who held her.

"Put her down." Sasuke demanded. "She has nothing to do with this fight."

Madara's visible eye crinkled as though he was smiling under his mask. "Does she? Why are you fighting me then? Why did I have to get you back from the Leaf Village? Why are the two of us standing here right now? My boy, she has a _lot _to do with this fight."

"That doesn't mean you can turn her into your human shield! Put her down!" Sasuke's voice became more forceful.

"Where would we be right now if she hadn't been here? Hm?" Madara questioned. "I know…we'd be at a base right now, planning out our attack on Konoha. You would be completely willing to go there and slaughter every person you saw…including this one." He gestured towards Sakura.

A growl rumbled through Sasuke's throat. This only seemed to please Madara.

"So," Madara drawled, "what am I to do about this?"

Sasuke's eyes widened as he began to understand where Madara's train of thought was headed.

"I think I should just…take care of her right now. Let's end our problems and be on our way. Shall we? I'll forgive you of all you just tried to do, and I'll even let you live once all of this is over. We'll head right for our hideout once I finish with this little girl."

From his robes Madara pulled out a kunai and aimed it at the unconscious kunoichi.

"To the end of our problems." Madara declared, as if leading in a toast.

The kunai began to surge forward. Everything moved so fast for Sasuke, and yet at the same time everything was so slow. He dashed forward as soon as Madara finished speaking, knowing full well what he intended to do.

The first thing that happened was that Sasuke reached out for the kunai. His hand clasped onto the bladed part, and he could feel it shred through his skin. He didn't care.

The second thing was that he grabbed Sakura's waist, pulling her away from Madara's grasp.

The third thing Sasuke hadn't planned to happen at all. His eyes locked with Madara's one, visible eye. The Sharingan glowed from beneath the mask, and a surge of chakra flowed through Sasuke. Madara's eye widened as he realized what was about to happen, but it was too late. Black flames began to consume the side of Madara's head as Sasuke pulled himself and Sakura away.

Madara let out a terrible screech as the flames burned his body. Sasuke stared in surprise as the Akatsuki member flailed uselessly. It hadn't occurred to Sasuke till that moment before, but he suddenly remembered back when he first met Madara. He had shown him his Sharingan, and in an instant the Amaterasu activated as a system Itachi had left him. Back then it had only been a clone that Madara had been using, but now, Sasuke could tell, he was the real deal.

Madara let out another pained yell as he turned to face Sasuke.

"You!" He roared. "Itachi! Damn you! Damn you! That girl! The pink-haired girl! Damn bitch! Argh! Sasuke! This isn't over! It's not over!"

Sasuke continued to stare at Madara's flaming body, and then his face hardened as he glared at the elder Uchiha. "No…" he stated. "It is over. Even if you tried to transport yourself now, it would be no use. You're dying."

Madara let out a growl, so fierce Sasuke almost flinched back. "You're a fool, Sasuke! If you stay with the Leaf Village, you'll only become weaker! I'll always be stronger than you! It will haunt you! You want power! You can't change that! You'll seek someone else out! Another who can give you the power you crave! You can't deny it, Sasuke!"

Sasuke stared forward as Madara spoke, still being consumed by flames. "You're right…Madara…. I do crave power, but I can still get it in the Leaf Village."

Madara gawked at Sasuke, unbelieving as he fell to his knees. The flames overtaking him.

"My friends have gotten stronger…much stronger than I could ever imagine…and they got that way because they had other companions with them to help them move forward. I'll get stronger…because I'll always be competing with my friends to get better. There's more ways to gain power than by joining the dark. That's what people like you and Orochimaru never understood, and that's what brings you down. I'm _stronger _than you."

Madara said nothing, only stared blankly at Sasuke. An instant later he fell over. He had already been dead, having faded away during Sasuke's speech. His body continued to burn, and Sasuke stood with Sakura in his arms, watching the corpse turn to ash and the flames die out as their source of fuel burned away to nothing.

When the flames vanished completely and all there was left of Madara's body was ashes, Sasuke finally turned away and looked down at Sakura. She was in terrible shape, and in dire need of medical attention, which he had no idea how to give.

"Damn it." Sasuke cursed. "I'll have to hurry…hang on Sakura."

With that, Sasuke left the cave without so much as a glance back at where the remains of the last person who'd probably ever try to bring him back to the dark side dwelled.

'"'"'"'"

Sasuke sat, his head down, eyes closed. To many it would seem that he had fallen asleep.

Beside him, a door opened, and Sasuke's eyes snapped open. He looked up to see the face of a motherly looking woman.

"How is she?" He croaked out, having not spoken since he had arrived at the home he sat in.

The lady appeared slightly worried. "I've never seen someone in such a shape. I can only imagine what happened to her."

Sasuke made no response for a moment, trying to see around her into the room behind her. "Will she be alright?"

"Oh, I'm really not sure. I'm not a professional. I hardly have any of the supplies I would need, seeing as you arrived on my doorstep quite suddenly. Maybe if you get her back to Konoha where there are professionals."

Sasuke sighed, giving up on seeing around the woman and standing up. "I know…I just didn't think I could cross that distance without anything bad happening to her open wounds."

"And what about yourself?" The woman inquired, gesturing at him. "Are you hurt?"

Sasuke looked down at his shirt. It was splattered with Sakura's blood. He lifted up the hand that had caught Madara's kunai. "Only this…the rest is my friends' blood…."

The woman nodded her head and inclined him to follow her into the room she had come from. "I have some supplies in here for that, and you can see your friend."

Sasuke followed the woman wordlessly. Upon entering the room his eyes landed on Sakura, still unconscious and now bandaged and dressed in a shirt that was a size too big for her.

"Here, I guess you can sit at the foot of the bed while I tend to you." The woman instructed.

Sasuke did as he was told and held his hand palm up for her to inspect. The woman took a chair and sat in front of him. She took his hand in hers, examining it with a wet cloth in her other hand.

"This day has been quite unusual." The woman chatted idly. "I mean, first a man had come and put me and my family under a genjutsu, but then a woman had apparently come by, and he tried to kill her, but she beat him and tied him to a pillar, leaving him for us to find. Now you appear on our doorstep covered in blood and seeking medical help. What a day."

Sasuke stared at the woman. "A woman had come by and was attacked by a man?"

The lady nodded her head. Reaching into a pocket, she pulled out a note and handed it to him, which he picked up with his good hand. "This is the letter she left us."

Sasuke opened the note and read it. When he read who had signed it, he couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lips.

"Ma'am," he called.

The woman looked up at him. "Yes?"

"I know who your mystery woman is."

The woman blinked. Her eyes flicked to the side momentarily at Sakura on the bed. When her eyes met Sasuke's once more, the smirk on his face confirmed her inner suspicions.

"Well," the woman smiled, "isn't that ironic?"

Sasuke shut his eyes, the smirk still on his face. "Yeah…I guess it is."

'"'"'"'"

Running as fast as he could with Sakura on his back, Sasuke made his way to the Leaf Village. Night would be falling soon, and if he timed it right, he could slip into the village without being noticed.

The Leaf Village itself was still another few hours ahead of him, and he was already exhausted; his only real breaks having been in the cave before Sakura came and when he had been at the woman's house.

Sasuke let out a sigh as Sakura's head slumped forward onto his shoulder. He glanced at her from the side. He knew he couldn't let up, for the sake of getting into the Leaf Village and for the sake of getting Sakura to a safe place. Keeping his pace, he continued on his way towards the Leaf Village.

'"'"'"'"

It was nearing midnight when Sasuke first saw the Leaf Village come into view. The relief he felt swelled within him as he knew his journey was over. He picked up his pace slightly, anxious to get back into the village.

When he made his way over the village walls and caught sight of the Leaf Village, shrouded mostly in darkness, for a moment Sasuke had a foreboding sense in him. He couldn't rightly describe it, like something he caught out of the corner of his eye and was gone by the time he turned to look. He blew it off within seconds, though, as Sakura made a groaning noise beside him; she must be dreaming, he thought.

Sasuke made it to his house without seeing a single person. Upon his arrival, he set Sakura down for a moment to open the door to his house. It was unlocked, just as he had left it, and it appeared that nothing had been disturbed in his absence. No one, besides Sakura, had probably been in his house since he had left.

Putting the bag he had taken with him in a corner to sort through later, Sasuke laid Sakura down carefully on his couch. He stared down at her for a moment; now back in her own clothes, and with a few bandages poking out from the edges of her clothing. Her face looked peaceful as she slept, like she had just fallen asleep at his house.

A saddened expression crossed Sasuke's face. He wished all that had happened was she had fallen asleep in his house. He never should have gone with Madara, and even if he did, he wished Sakura hadn't been the one to go after him.

"_What in the world possessed her," _Sasuke wondered, _"that made her think she could take down Madara…?"_

An image flashed through Sasuke's mind, it was an image of Sakura when she had been pleading along with Naruto for him to come back to the Leaf Village. A smirk reached his face.

"_Well…she did it once, and she did it again…. I'm not sure if she was just getting cocky, but I'm glad she did it anyway."_

With that thought, Sasuke turned and sat down in a chair next to the couch. He looked over at Sakura once more, shut his eyes for a moment, and almost immediately descended into sleep.

**Okay, I get that feeling some people may be mentally scolding me right now. "Sigh, Okami-chan, that fight was too fast! So much happened! It was too rushed! Tsk, tsk…" …well, I'd want to say "quiet you" but I can't because you're right. I couldn't help it though! You know how hard it is to come up with battle scenes to last like…a whole chapter? Freakin' impossible, that's how hard it is. Maybe some could, with lots of dialogue, but there really wasn't much else to be said. Sasuke had made the decision that he didn't want anything to do with Madara anymore, Madara wanted him either dead or to come back to his "senses" and just leave and let Sakura die. There weren't really any other matters to discuss besides a bit of battle-talk. This is about how much I wanted to happen anyway so…no complainers! You will be ignored! Anyway…so that's all for now. The next chapter will basically be a bridge chapter. A part of it on this arc of the story, a part of it filler relating to and shifting out of this arc, and the end will bring us into the next arc of our story. (Holy crap! Three more parts are left to this story! Gasp! It's almost finished!) Wow…well then, I'll see you all next chapter! **


	19. Catching Up

**Chapter Nineteen- Catching Up**

Sakura's memory had understandably trailed off after she had been hit by Madara. The last thing she really registered was the pain, and also, vaguely, the look on Sasuke's face when she had tried to look at him. He looked surprised, shocked, and somehow angered. At the time, her mind didn't have the capability to process why he had such expressions on his face, especially since she had faded off with the impression that he didn't even care about her.

Her being unconscious was in no way like the fast click of falling asleep and waking up again several hours later to the morning. She had been wracked with dream after dream. Some were pointless, more like memories, as if her life flashed before her closed eyes. Other times they were unreal. She had seen people she had known to be dead, and for a bit almost believed herself to have died in the mine until her mind shifted onto something else.

In a few of her dreams she saw the people in the Leaf Village. Naruto, Kakashi, Ino, Tsunade, Shizune, and many others. Her mind played for her scenarios of what might have happened if someone else had accompanied her. Sometimes she was hit with a nightmare where it completely failed and they all died, and sometimes her dream ended with it being a success. Whatever the dream, there was always one similarity. Sasuke was always there. Whether he played a role in her dream, or was simply a spectator on the side. He was always there. At times it was a comfort to see him, at other times, like when she watched her mission fail, it was a painful nightmare.

The thing that remained with Sasuke, though, was that he usually had the expression she had last seen on his face before she passed out. When it didn't fit the scene, like having a dream where everyone was happy but he was the only one with his strange look, it would puzzle her, and she would try to address it, but then the dream would fade off and she would be pulled into another one.

When she first felt herself beginning to stir back into consciousness, she almost fought to just stay asleep. She didn't want to open her eyes. However, her waking up also signaled in her brain a crucial thing: _she was alive_.

Sakura's eyes finally started to flutter open. The first thing she thought was that she was still in the mine, on the string of death and having come to only a little bit before the inevitable would happen. Then, she began to take notice that she was not seeing the ceiling of the mine, she was seeing the ceiling of a roof, and her injuries stung, but it wasn't the unbearable pain she had felt originally.

The first thing she did was try to sit up, but immediately pain shot through her chest, and she almost felt as though she were about to barf with nausea. She fell back and realized she was laying on a couch. Her head shifted to the side, and that's when she finally noticed him.

Sasuke sat in the same chair he had situated himself in earlier, and he was still asleep. Taking a look around, Sakura finally began to realize that the two of them were in Sasuke's apartment.

The realization slammed into her. She was in Sasuke apartment, and that meant that they were in the Leaf Village, which meant that they were home. Sasuke was home, and they were alive.

The understanding of this all involuntarily brought tears flowing into her eyes. She let out a choked sob. They had come home, and Sasuke was with them again. She had actually succeeded. Her tears of happiness poured freely, her arms not even able to reach up to wipe them away.

Then Sasuke was there, having been awoken by her sob. The first reaction that had come to him was concern that she was in pain, but as soon as he saw the smile on her face, he understood that she was crying with joy.

Sakura slowly became aware of his watching her. Struggling to move her arm up, Sakura wiped away the tears in her eyes and smiled up at Sasuke.

"Sasuke," Sakura called, "are we…I mean…did you really…what happened?"

The curve of Sasuke's lips could have been mistaken for a smile, but Sakura knew him well enough to know he never really gave a true smile over anything. He moved to sit on the couch in front of Sakura's feet. He looked over at her tenderly, like a glass that could easily fracture and break.

"I killed Madara." Sasuke stated. Sakura's eyes widened at this. "Well, I hadn't really done it on purpose…I would have killed him…I wanted to…I actually caught him and myself by surprise. The Amaterasu activated when I saw his Sharingan, and he couldn't react fast enough. He burned to death."

Sakura said nothing for a moment, and then tried to sit up. The pain in her chest returned, and she finally looked down at herself to see the bandages on her. She blinked. "Did you…?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Once Madara was officially dead, I hurried over to the town nearby. I found the first home I could, and a woman there bandaged you up. Of course…apparently she already sort of knew you…you bent up her iron hangings."

Sakura blinked again, and then the memory came back to her. "Oh," she let out a laugh. "Isn't that ironic?"

Sasuke nodded his head. "She was no professional…all she could do was clean and bandage your wounds. After you were finished I set off for the Leaf Village." Sasuke glanced up at a clock on the wall. "We got home around midnight, of course now it's almost ten in the morning."

Sakura tried to crane her neck to see the clock, failed, and settled her head against the arm of the couch. "So…are you officially here to stay? You won't…leave again, will you?"

For a second Sasuke's eyes softened greatly, though Sakura blinked and it was gone. She almost believed it to be her imagination. "If I can help it, I won't leave again. I can't think of anyone else seeking out an Uchiha to be on the dark side. I don't think it should be a problem anymore."

Sakura let out a relieved sigh. "I'm glad."

"So," Sasuke questioned, "what was the deal with bending the hangings and apparently nearly getting poisoned?"

Sakura sighed. "Madara's lackey, and actually, I had been poisoned, but I took the antidote from him. He had been watching me while we were all still here."

Sasuke looked surprised. "You knew about him?"

Sakura stared. "_You _knew about him?"

Sasuke seemed to struggle for words for a moment, a rare sight in Sakura's eyes. "Madara…he had…threatened to kill you if I hadn't gone with him. His lackey was watching you, waiting for the signal to…you know…in case I said no."

Sakura continued to stare at the Uchiha. "But…why didn't you just come to my house or something and help me take him down? Then you could have just rejected Madara. I doubt he could have taken you by force once more people were in on the whole thing."

Silence fell for a moment. Under his breath Sakura heard Sasuke mutter something along the lines of, "fuck…you idiot." Sakura smiled and laughed.

"It's okay." She stated. "You were stressed…and you were protecting me…."

Sasuke looked over at the kunoichi, and for a few solid moments they held each other's gaze.

Sakura was the one who broke their connection, a tinge of pink reaching her cheeks. "So…what do we do now?"

Sasuke appeared as though he had just come out of a trance. "Hn, I'm not sure. Do you want me to call Ino or someone to give you some medical attention?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, best that no one finds out about this. Just…um…if you could help me sit up, I should be able to do it myself."

Sasuke seemed skeptical for a moment, but relented. He stood and moved to Sakura's side. Very carefully, he helped her sit up and then shift to rest her back against the couch. Sakura watched him, surprised, as she had never known Sasuke to treat anyone so delicately before.

Sakura smiled. "With how careful you're being, you're like a father taking care of his child."

Sasuke stared at her with a "what's that supposed to mean?" look and Sakura looked away.

Sakura waved a hand. "Sorry…just forget I said anything."

Sasuke stood up straight as she finished speaking, as she was now fully in place. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "Is there anything you need?"

"Uh…" Sakura stammered, seeming to think for a minute. "In my medic bag," Sakura inclined her head to a pack she saw lying on a table a little ways off, having obviously been removed from her before Sasuke had placed her down, "I should have some supplies that should help me."

Sasuke nodded, understanding, fetched the bag, and placed it beside her.

"Thanks. And…uh…with where my injuries are, I'll have to…um…so if…."

Sasuke understood. "I'll head to my room. Just come by or holler when you're finished."

With that, Sasuke turned and went down the hall. The whole time Sakura watched him, her comment from earlier playing in her mind.

"_Sasuke…as a father…." _She thought, and then smiled. _"It would seem he's already starting to gain some of those traits…." _

'"'"'"'"

Half an hour later Sakura finished her work, and stood up easily, feeling much better. She glanced around. Having been in Sasuke's house before, she knew where most things were, including his room. She headed over to Sasuke's room and opened the door. She poked her head inside.

Sasuke sat on his bed, looking down at something. When he heard her come in, he glanced up. He inclined his head in approval that she could enter, and she shut the door behind her as Sasuke placed what he had been looking at on the bed beside him.

When Sakura got closer, she noticed that he had been looking at their old picture of Team Seven from back when they were all 12 years old.

"We really need to take a new picture of the four of us." Sakura stated. "So much has changed since back then."

Sasuke nodded his head once, but made no further comment. He raked his eyes over her form. "Are you alright now?"

Sakura nodded in return. "I think I'll probably be feeling a little sore tomorrow, but other than that I'm fine."

Sasuke seemed relieved. He stood. "Now what?"

"I'm not sure…I mean—" something suddenly hit Sakura, "Naruto! Oh, he'll want to know we're back!"

Sasuke seemed confused. Sakura noticed it.

"Naruto was the only person I told of your leaving. I also told him to stay behind so he could fill in as me for a while."

This caught Sasuke, and Sakura could already tell what was going through his mind.

"I mean…all he's probably really had to do is make a clone, transform it into me, and make a call to the hospital telling them I was sick or something. It's only been a couple days after all."

Comprehension came to him, and he began to move towards the door. "Let's go see him then."

Sakura followed him out the door. "Right."

'"'"'"'"

"SAKURA! TEME! YOU'RE BACK! OH I MISSED YOU GUYS SO MUCH! TEME YOU ASSHOLE! HOW COULD YOU HAVE LEFT? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! I REALLY OUGHTA—!"

"Naruto," Sakura snapped, "we don't need people hearing about this! Keep your voice down."

Naruto clamped a hand over his mouth, and then removed it. "I still can't believe it. What happened? I want to hear all the details. You know how much it sucked just having to sit around and freaking _wait_? I thought I was going to go stir crazy!"

"Welcome to how I felt a few years back." Sakura replied, and then moved to enter Naruto's apartment. "Come on, we'll tell you everything that happened."

'"'

Naruto was silent for several moments as Sakura and Sasuke finished their tale. Whether in contemplation or just trying to absorb all the information they were unsure.

Finally he spoke. "Wow…just…wow. So Madara…he's…dead?"

"Definitely," Sasuke answered. "I saw his ashes with my own eyes. Saw it was really him with the Sharingan as well."

Naruto let out a deep sigh of relief. "That's great news! But so…how are you going to explain that to Granny Tsunade? I mean, people are going to wonder what happened to him, and it'll be hard to believe he just randomly died."

Sasuke and Sakura glanced at each other for a moment. Sakura was the one who answered. "We'll let them think what they think. They can say he committed suicide or fell off a cliff for all I care. The knowledge that he's dead is good enough for me."

Sasuke nodded his head in agreement.

Naruto nodded his own head thoughtfully. "Yeah…so…" a foxy grin spread across the blonds' face. "You two were alone in Sasuke's apartment for _how _many hours?"

Sakura's face flushed, with anger or embarrassment it was hard to tell, Sasuke seemed thrown off by Naruto's question.

"_Naruto_," Sakura hissed. "Would you just—I can't believe you! We go on a life-threatening adventure and your mind is…is…with Jiraiya or something!"

Naruto laughed. "He _was _my master! Like teacher like student _Sakura_. I see you've gotten a lot of traits from Granny Tsunade! Well…maybe except the big boobs."

Sakura's whole face turned red, and her arms went protectively in front of her chest. "You _pervert_!"

Naruto laughed again as Sakura gave him a death glare.

Sasuke sighed. "If you're done."

"Oh, I am far from done mister disciple of Orochimaru. I mean, you didn't get many of his traits. You're not a pedophile or something after all."

Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh. "Dobe, shut up already."

Sakura stood up. "If you're just going to be a pervert, I'm going to head home and get out of these bloody clothes."

Sasuke stood up as well. "I don't have any other reason to be here."

"Awe, but we were just having fun." Naruto called. "I was just messing around! Lighten up!"

Sakura let out a deep sigh. "It's hard to right now. I think I really just need a rest at home. I was going to leave soon anyway."

"Oh…alright…." Naruto looked despondent, but he put a grin on his face. "I'll see you guys later."

Sakura waved a hand. "Once I've settled back in, how about we all go out to get some celebratory ramen. Sasuke?" Sakura looked up at the Uchiha.

"Yeah! Yeah! Let's do that!" Naruto cheered.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "Fine."

"Yay! Hurry back guys!"

Sakura smiled at the blond, and then she and Sasuke left the apartment.

When the two got outside, Sakura addressed Sasuke.

"Actually, I need to head to your place real quick." She stated. "I need to get my stuff from there."

Sasuke nodded his head. "Sure."

The two then set off down the road together. Sakura walked a little faster in order to keep up with Sasuke's strides for a bit until he noticed her jog, and slowed down. The two continued on in silence for a bit. Sasuke's house was near a five minute walk from Naruto's place, and nearly the whole walk went by in silence.

Suddenly, Sasuke picked up on something, and he immediately recognized it. It was the feeling he had gotten when he had first come back into the Leaf Village last night with Sakura. Though now he knew exactly what it was.

Sasuke and Sakura crested a small incline just before Sasuke's place, and then he saw exactly what he had been sensing.

Sakura froze when she got to the top of the incline and stared forward in shock. Sasuke stopped when she did, and then they were noticed. Three heads turned to face them.

Taka stood in front of Sasuke's house.

**And now (drum roll) we enter the next part of our story! AH! I finished this in one sitting! Ah! I haven't even gotten out chapter eighteen! Ah! I think I may be able to go on a little farther! Oh! And I think I'm going to extend the story a liiiiittle farther than I had planned. I was sitting here about to write out near the end of this chapter when a few thoughts came to my mind about points that I'd like to address or use, but wouldn't be able to come out if I stopped it where I planned. Soooo…I think this story is going to be near 30 chapters long! Gasp! Longest story I've written everrrrr! Leave feedback if you please, ideas if you have any. I have an idea of what I want to have happen in stuff, but not the main thing of what is going to happen. (Like here, right now I know the main thing is going to be addressing some drama with Taka, and I know some points. It is planned out.) Heheh. So anyway, till the next chapter! I'm finally stockpiling again! And sorry if this chapter is shorter than the others that have been coming out, I try people! **


	20. Restraints Are a Virtue

**Chapter Twenty- Restraints Are a Virtue**

Three pairs of eyes landed on the two ninja staring back at the three that gazed at them.

"Sasukeee!" Squealed the red-head, Sakura couldn't quite remember her name, who now ran over to them. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something seemed different about the girl.

The two men who were with the red-head came a moment later. Sasuke sidestepped the red-head, who had flung herself at him. She gazed at him in depression, and then turned to Sakura. That's when it hit her what was off about the girl.

The red-head, Sakura remembered now, had lunged at her back when they were trying to get Sasuke back. In return, she had punched her in the jaw and sent her flying. Now, she saw the results of that. Her face was visibly indented in the area Sakura had punched her. She imagined she had done some major, irreparable damage to the bone. The red-head's mouth turned down in a scowl when she saw Sakura, and it revealed that a couple of her teeth were missing. Sakura blinked, and though she was a little surprised by the damage, she couldn't help the little feeling inside that reveled in seeing the red-head's deformed features.

The white-haired man spoke to Sasuke. "We were looking for you, Sasuke." He inclined a thumb at the red-head. "Karin said she had sensed your chakra most strongly from this place, but then you weren't home."

Sasuke seemed unfazed by the whole situation. "I was somewhere else."

The big man with orange hair spoke next. "So, are you really a part of the Leaf Village now?"

Sasuke took a moment before he replied. "In a way…I always have been. Now I've returned, and I don't have any interest in leaving again."

Inside Sakura let out a sigh of relief as a hidden worry she hadn't even addressed yet was released. It was true that the three of them could very well have tried to take Sasuke out of the village, but Sasuke wasn't interested in leaving.

The red-head, who was obviously Karin, looked up at Sasuke. "We know that. We had no intention of taking you out of the village if you wanted to stay."

Sakura knew that they weren't going to take Sasuke, but Karin confirming it took Sakura by surprise a little for some reason.

Sasuke didn't even glance at Karin, and focused on the white-haired man. "Then what are you guys doing here?"

The white-haired man shrugged his shoulders. "There was nowhere else to go, and we figured you weren't dead, so our next best guess was to come here. Turns out we were right. There's nothing left for us outside, so we thought we may as well come inside."

Sasuke gazed at him skeptically. "You mean to say you three plan to join the Leaf Village?"

The orange-haired man nodded. "It was Karin and Suigetsu's idea…so I figured why not."

Silence fell for a moment as the old team regarded each other.

Finally, Suigetsu, as Sakura heard him called, took notice of the kunoichi. He grinned a shark-toothed grin. "Well, well, if it isn't the pink-haired girl." He snickered. "Good job screwing up Karin's face. I thought it was ugly before, but wow, you managed to make it worse."

Karin beside him seethed, and Sakura couldn't hold down a giggle. "Well, I mean, I hadn't really intended it. I actually thought she'd have been killed, truthfully."

Suigetsu snickered again. "Please, her head's as thick as her fat legs. Nothing could get through that thing."

"Shut your trap, Suigetsu." Karin barked.

Sakura smiled, holding down the rest of her giggles.

"Well then," Suigetsu announced, and held out a hand to Sakura, "now that we're not fighting each other anymore, I'm Suigetsu."

Sakura stared at Suigetsu's hand for a moment, and then took hold of it with a smile. "I'm Sakura."

Suigetsu grinned. "Pretty name you've got there. It fits."

Sakura's cheeks flushed slightly. "Thanks. Suigetsu fits you as well."

"My name is Juugo." The orange-haired man spoke up from behind Suigetsu.

Sakura looked up at him, immediately telling that she would like him. He had a kind look in his eyes. "Hello Juugo."

Karin glared at the pink-haired girl, let out a sharp huff, and looked to the side. "I'm Karin."

"Yes, I know." Sakura replied, not looking straight at the red-head. With the memory of who she was also came the memory of how she had decided she really didn't like her rude personality. She regarded Suigetsu and Juugo. "So what are you guys going to do then? Have you seen the Hokage?"

"Yeah," Suigetsu answered, "though she wanted us to come down here and get Sasuke so he could vouch for us or something."

Internally Sakura let out a sigh. It seemed they had come home just in time. If it had been a day later, Taka would not have found Sasuke, and when they reported that to Lady Tsunade, she would have caught on that something was up.

Suigetsu looked at the kunoichi, and seemed to notice something. "Hey, are you alright? Your clothes are torn and covered in blood."

Sakura's eyes widened a fraction, realizing this. It was true that she was still in her clothes from earlier; she shouldn't have been so surprised that someone would take notice.

"Oh, um…well…I just got back from a mission." Sakura responded, coming up with an alibi on the fly. "Actually," she gazed up at the Uchiha beside her, "that's why I'm here. I had left my medical supplies here, and I had come here to get them. Though I suppose it is a little unsightly walking around in bloody clothes."

Suigetsu nodded his head, believing her story. "Well then, do you need an escort home after you've picked up your stuff?"

"No, she doesn't." Sasuke cut in. Sakura's head whipped towards Sasuke, who looked surprised the words had come out of his mouth. "I mean…I'll take her. You three need to head over to the Hokage's place. I'll meet you guys there."

Suigetsu frowned. "What's up with…ah, whatever. By the way, can we crash here for tonight? We don't have a place to stay right now."

Sasuke nodded his head, and then looked down at Sakura. "Suigetsu and Juugo can stay at my place. Sakura, would you mind housing Karin for a bit?"

Sakura had to clench her teeth to keep her jaw from dropping. Karin's jaw did drop.

"What?" Karin spat out. "Why can't I just stay here?"

Inside Sakura thought of twenty reasons why Karin couldn't stay at Sasuke's, but she bit back her feelings. Her words came hissing out between her teeth, yet still managed to sound inviting. "Sure, why don't you? I have room."

"Sounds good," Suigetsu interjected. "Maybe Karin will get lucky and some of Sakura's prettiness will rub off on her, and maybe a better temper while she's at it."

Karin glared at Suigetsu, looking like she wanted to say something, but bit it back. "Fine."

Sakura moved past the three towards Sasuke's door without a word. She knew the next few days were going to be hell.

'"'"'"'"

"You know you don't actually have to walk me home." Sakura commented, looking up at the Uchiha beside her.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "I said I would, so I might as well."

"Hm," Sakura hummed. "I mean, it just seems like you're doing it so Suigetsu wouldn't. Why is that? He seems like a pretty good guy."

"Pretty big pain in the ass; trying to pick you up…." Sasuke muttered to himself, and then looked to Sakura. "It's not that. He's alright, it's just…" there was a pause as Sasuke tried to come up with what to say. "It's just that it's better not to rush into things."

"You say that like he asked me out or something." Sakura responded. "You think I don't know that, though, even if he did? I was just being friendly."

Mentally Sasuke cursed, realizing what a mistake going with the conversation was. Though now that he thought about it, who was he to try and stand between her and Suigetsu. It's not like he was dating her or anything.

At that thought Sasuke's mind came to a screeching halt. He glanced at Sakura, who didn't seem to notice anything was up.

"_Dating her?" _Sasuke thought. _"No…I'm not…why should I care in the first place? Tch, I don't care what she thinks of Suigetsu, or what Suigetsu thinks of her. It's not like it's even possi—why am I thinking about _that _now? Hmph, I don't care. I don't care at all. She's just my teammate. My teammate that may still lo—"_

"Sasuke, where are you going?" Sakura called.

Sasuke blinked, snapping out of his train of thought. He turned to see Sakura behind him standing in front of her house. He walked back over to her. "Nothing. Nowhere."

Sakura gazed at the Uchiha. "Right…well, I guess you don't have to wait on me. I'll be getting a shower and into some better clothes. I'll head over to the Hokage's place to meet you, though. So I can…take…Karin…here." The words came from her mouth feeling like acid.

Sasuke noticed the way she spoke. "If you don't want to house her, or think there'll be a problem, I could probably—"

"Oh no, no." Sakura interjected. "You'll have enough trouble housing two guys in your house. I'll take care of her. It's fine."

Sasuke made no response for a moment, and turned to leave. "Alright, if you say so. It shouldn't take that long to find them all a place to stay."

"No, it shouldn't." Sakura agreed.

"Well, I'll see you later then. Just meet us out front at the Hokage's place. If you're not there by the time we're done, I'll drop her off here myself."

"Oh, you don't have to go through the trouble of that. I'll pick her up."

"You sure?"

"Of course." Sakura had to put on one of her fake smiles. If she timed it right, she thought viciously, maybe she could just leave her there and let her get lost in the village.

"Alright." Sasuke inclined his head. "I'll see you later then."

This time Sakura smiled honestly. "See you."

'"'"'"'"

Shock was an understatement to Sakura's parents' reactions to seeing her come home covered in dried blood. It took a good ten minutes before she could convince her parents that she was alright, and then she headed for the shower.

The shower was warm and relaxing. She shut her eyes, ignoring the splashes of muddy red and black that pooled at her feet. Her hair felt and had looked like a wreck when she saw herself in a mirror. She ran her hands through it now, lathered in soap and slowly regaining its silky feel as she treated it.

When the shower was finished, she changed into a fresh set of clothes and dried her hair. She gazed at herself in the mirror now. She looked a hundred times better than she had when she had first entered the bathroom.

With a contented sigh, she left the room and walked downstairs. That's when she remembered, she still had to pick up Karin. Her nose wrinkled slightly, thinking of the red-head.

Her mother came downstairs an instant later, and Sakura turned to greet her.

"Hey mom, there's something else I forgot to tell you." She declared.

Her mother looked braced to handle any other news her daughter was about to bring her. She gestured for her to go on.

"Um…you see…there are some people that Sasuke knows who just came to town. He can house a couple of them, but he was wondering if maybe we could house the last one. She, uh…I guess it shouldn't be much trouble, though we may have to put her on the couch."

"Oh," Sakura's mother breathed, having expected rougher news like _I think I may have to leave again soon _or _I'm pregnant. _It wouldn't have surprised her, with how much her daughter had just experienced. The lighter news was a huge relief. "That's fine. I'll get some clean sheets ready then."

Sakura had to bite back the part of her that deflated with depression at her mother's acceptance, but at the same time she felt relieved. Plan B was probably Karin staying at Sasuke's, and if there was anything she disliked more at the moment than Karin at _her _house, it was Karin living at _Sasuke's _house.

With a huff, Sakura told her mother "Thanks," and then went to the door. Now, she thought bitterly, she had to go pick up the intruder.

'"'"'"'"

Sakura opened the door to her house reluctantly, Karin following behind the kunoichi as Sakura slipped through the door.

Immediately upon entering the home, Karin scanned the room. The two had entered into a living room area, moderately decorated with furniture. Sakura began to walk towards a staircase.

"I'll go get my parents so they can meet you."

Karin snorted. "Still living with your parents?"

Sakura bit her tongue to keep from rounding on the girl for her tone. "Yes, I'm not eighteen yet, so I'm still living with them."

Karin made no further comment as Sakura disappeared up the staircase. A few seconds later, Karin could hear voices coming from upstairs. She couldn't quite tell what they were saying though.

She grunted in irritation. She had no idea why Sasuke had decided to send her to the pink-haired girls' house. It wasn't like they hadn't all slept together before. They had all been traveling together for quite some time after all. There shouldn't have been a problem.

Unless, she suddenly thought, he didn't think he could handle having her in his home. A suggestive grin passed over the red-head's face as vulgar thoughts crossed her mind.

"_Oh, Sasuke my dear," _she thought, _"there's no need to be so shy. Heehee. I'd think he already knew I'm ready for him any time. I don't need to be housed up here just so he can try to get away from my charm. Silly boy."_

Karin giggled under her breath as Sakura re-emerged with two people trailing behind her. Her giggle faded off and the grin on her face was replaced with a casual scowl as they stopped just a few feet from her.

"This is Karin." Sakura gestured to the red-head. "And these are my parents." Her gesture shifted to the two adults.

Sakura's mother stared at the stranger in her house with a mix of surprise and a natural feeling of being a hostess. She inclined her head. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, so where do I put my stuff?" Karin responded.

Sakura had to use all of her self-control to keep from lashing out at the girl. Still, even in the face of two adults, she kept up her rude personality. No wonder, she thought, Suigetsu ragged on her so much. She deserved it.

Though she didn't show it, Sakura's mother got a hint of the same feelings of mistreatment, but she threw on a kind look to help out the red-head. "You'll have to sleep on the couch. I'm preparing some fresh sheets right now. You can just put your bag down by it."

Karin glanced down at her bag in her hand, and tossed it over to where she saw a couch. She looked back at Sakura's mother. "Is there a shower?"

"Yes," her mother replied, and gestured for the red-head to follow her. "Right this way."

The two disappeared down the hall as Sakura glared at a wall.

"_Great," _she thought, _"now I have rude company _and _I have to burn my conditioner…." _

Sakura's father stood motionless in front of his daughter. When he finally cleared his throat, he didn't look at the kunoichi. "Quite a guest you've invited into our home."

"You can say that again…." Sakura huffed.

"Uh, was it just me, or was her face a little…" he waved a hand in a circular motion, like he was trying to conjure up the word.

"Deformed? Why yes…don't ask."

"Right…."

Finally Sakura turned to look at her father. "So when's dinner?"

'"'"'"'"

Dinner could have been compared to the tension of having an assassin standing behind you with a kunai to your throat in case you spoke. Sakura didn't say a word the entire time, and though her mother tried a few times to start a conversation, it would never go far enough to start a full-blown discussion as would normally happen at a dinner table.

Sakura stood, her plate in hand, and retreated into the kitchen to put her plate away. Her mother followed just seconds later with a discontented frown on her face.

"This sucks, to put it in one word." Her mother declared in a low voice so as not to be overheard in the dining room.

Sakura gave her mother a surprised look. "Well, if you've gone so far to say it sucks, it must totally blow. Which it does."

Now her mother gave her a surprised look. "And I thought it was just me losing my abilities as a hostess."

Sakura smiled and shook her head. "They're as warm and welcoming as they've ever been. The only problem is our guest happens to be a prissy chick with a bad hair-style."

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that…I mean…the weird depression in her face kind of takes away from that. How'd that…?"

"I'll tell you later." Sakura answered, and then let out a sigh. "I hope they find a place to live soon. It's only been two hours and I already feel like running out of the house screaming. The family's not as cheery as we normally are with her around."

"Well, she's a guest. We'll just have to put up with it."

"Right…." Sakura sighed, and went to work cleaning her dish.

As the night wore on, it soon became time for everyone to head to bed. Sakura came down the stairs with a stack of blankets in her arms. She dropped the pile next to the couch where Karin sat.

"Here're your sheets and a blanket." Sakura stated dryly, ready to get out of there and go to bed.

Karin didn't comment for a moment, when she did, she glanced up with an air of smugness. "What, you're not going to make my bed for me?"

"_Don't push it, bitch!" _Sakura's inner suddenly roared to life inside of her, and she agreed, but she had to push it away and try not to rip the red-head's throat out as she replied. "I'm sure you can do it yourself." She turned away. "I'm heading to bed."

Sakura walked up the stairs without a word. From where she was, Karin could hear as Sakura opened and closed her door. Then, she heard a click. She had locked the door to her room.

Karin frowned with distaste. _"Bitch. She fails at being a host. She's supposed to be taking care of me. She's just jealous, I bet."_

In her mind, Karin saw back to when Sakura and the blond boy had come to take Sasuke from them. She thought of how Sasuke had looked at the girl when they had still been watching the two from the trees. Rage bubbled up inside of her like the kind she felt back when she first began to notice Sasuke's softness towards the kunoichi.

"_Who is she…to think that she could possibly take Sasuke away from me?" _Karin's eyes flared. _"We'll see who's better suited for him."_

**And I end it here. Who can already tell what's gonna happen? Besides drama and the cat fighting between Sakura and Karin. Hm…I just realized. I only have to chapter 23 planned out…and I'm reaching that point pretty quickly. Hm, the Taka stuff goes by pretty quickly…may stretch it a bit, I dunno. I can't remember off the top of my head right now if it's chapter 22 or 23 that ends the Taka stuff. I think it's 22. I'll check later. In any case. I hope you all enjoyed. Till the next chapter! **


	21. Some Time to Kick Back and Think

**Chapter Twenty-one- Some Time to Kick Back and Think **

"And then she goes 'aren't you going to make my bed?'" Sakura spat in a mocking tone.

"What a bitch." Ino gawked, having just heard Sakura's story. "What went through Sasuke's mind to pin her on you? I mean…besides the fact he was probably thinking that a girl probably wouldn't like it cooped up in a house with three guys."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders and reached to take a sip out of a cup of hot chocolate. The two girls sat together in an outdoor café. With the temperature beginning to drop for winter, the hot drinks were nice. "Hell if I know. But I mean, I guess it was partly because I was there. I prefer her staying at my place than staying at Sasuke's; even if she is a total diva."

Sakura began to drink from her cup of hot chocolate as Ino sighed and said, "The things you do for love."

The next couple minutes included Sakura choking on her drink, burning her hand and tongue from the heat, and coughing to get the liquid out of her airway. When she returned to normal, she shot Ino an incredulous look as she waved a dismissive hand at the people who stared at her with concern for her condition. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm saying how even though you already knew Karin was a diva you still decided to take her in for Sasuke."

"And what does this have to do with love?"

Ino grinned, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Don't try to tell me that you're not in love with Sasuke."

Sakura stared at her friend, a blush creeping up on her cheeks. She looked away. She hadn't put much thought into whether or not she was still in love with Sasuke after their recent mission to the Land of Waves. It had crossed her mind then, but with all that had happened afterwards, there hadn't been much time to contemplate it again.

She looked back at Ino from the corner of her eye, who still sat in her chair waiting for Sakura's response.

"Well…?" Ino pressed.

Sakura tried to look occupied with the designs on the table they sat at, but she knew Ino's gaze was still on her. She traced a finger over one of the swirling patterns of the tabletop design. "I dunno…." She answered in almost a whisper.

Ino caught her statement. "You don't know? How can you not know?"

"How can I not, not know?"

"Wait…what?"

"I mean, how can I be sure?"

"How do you think you feel about him?"

"I don't know."

"Why not?"

"I just don't!" Sakura's voice raised a level, and then she shrank back into her chair. "I mean…with all that's happened…I just don't know if…a part of me can accept it."

Ino leaned forward, her arms resting on the table. "What part of you?"

Sakura shook her head. "The part of me that still feels broken up about his leaving in the first place."

Ino gazed at her friend sympathetically, knowing how torn up Sakura had felt when Sasuke had left. "Well, can't you just move on? I mean, he's back now, and he hasn't shown a single sign he still yearns for the life he had before."

"Right…." Sakura drawled, fiddling with her cup. Of course she hadn't told Ino about Sasuke's leaving just a few days ago and her journey to get him back. Even if the blond before her was her best friend, she didn't think she could trust her with that information, not now.

"Right, then why don't you?"

"I don't know."

"I'm not going to keep taking that as an answer, you know." Ino leaned forward a little more. "Why don't you tell me what it's all about?"

'"'

"It feels nice having a place where I can just relax now." Suigetsu grinned as he stretched himself out across the couch in Sasuke's house. "No more traveling or being on the run. We can just kick back and relax."

"Yeah…." Juugo, sitting in the chair beside the couch, agreed. He gazed out a window to the left. "I don't really feel those urges to kill as well, or even if I do, it's something I can control. I think it's the calmness of the place."

Suigetsu yawned. "Right. Hey, where's Sasuke?"

Juugo turned his attention to the shark-man on the couch. "I think he's in his room."

"Tch, still a mole in the dark, as always."

"I don't think so. I think he's just tired."

"_He's _tired. It's not like he's been doing anything special except hanging out with that pretty girl from yesterday. Sakura was her name, right?"

Juugo nodded his head as Sasuke emerged from the hallway.

"Speak of the mole." Suigetsu chuckled at his joke. "Hey, you know you've got a blood stain on this couch, and it's still pretty fresh. What'd you do, cut yourself or something?"

Sasuke stared at the couch Suigetsu laid on; realizing the blood he spoke of was probably Sakura's.

Almost like he read his mind, Suigetsu spoke up again. "Unless it's Sakura's. She was in those bloody clothes when we saw her. That would make sense. Where is she, anyway?"

"Why do you want to know?" Sasuke responded a little coldly.

"Well, wherever she is, Karin can't be too far I guess."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. "If she's not at her house, I don't know where she'd be."

"That's disappointing." Suigetsu huffed, sitting up from the couch. "If I were you, I'd be keeping an eye on her."

Sasuke made no response to his comment, and took a seat in a chair. "What happened after I left you guys in the forest?"

Juugo responded. "First off we had to find Karin."

Suigetsu laughed. "Oh yeah! She was ground halfway into a tree when we found her! Blood all over her face. Sakura beat her good."

"We took her to a nearby town and had her patched up. They couldn't do anything about the side of her face though." Juugo continued.

"Yeah, yeah, and if you feel the side of her face, you can kind of feel the further indents of Sakura's knuckles."

Juugo nodded. "After that we spent a couple days just trying to decide what to do."

"We spent another day in that town, and then we went back to where all the fighting took place. Which reminds me we got some of your stuff in our bags."

"We eventually decided to head over here, but at the time, we didn't even really know which way the Leaf Village was, and we were a pretty good distance away to begin with."

Suigetsu laughed again. "And of course we made the stupid decision to follow Karin, and we ended up _farther _away than when we started."

"At that point, we had to ask for directions, but even though we knew which way we were going, we still ended up in a loop a few times."

Suigetsu snorted. "I think we ended up in that village that patched up Karin's face like…three times!"

"By then, it had already been nearly a week, and then we finally got onto a straight path to the Leaf Village."

"Then in short, we got here the night before you found us, crashed out next to the village walls, and entered in the morning. We went over to the Hokage's place and told her our story. Then she told us to find you. Since we could actually sense your chakra, we went over to your place, found you weren't there, and now here we are."

Sasuke leaned back in his chair. "I see."

Suigetsu shot a bit of a glare at Sasuke. "'I see', is that all you have to say? That journey was a big fat pain in the ass. Would have been easier to find one of Orochimaru's old bases and lived there, but nooo, we decided to come here."

"It was partially your idea to come here in the first place." Juugo commented.

"Oh, whatever, my point is that you don't even appreciate what we went through to find you."

Sasuke seemed unfazed by Suigetsu's words. "I didn't ask you guys to come."

"And yet here we are. Now suck it up and go make us some breakfast."

'"'

Karin sat glaring out across the surface of a lake. She had come to the spot she occupied early this morning, having barely paused for a bit of breakfast at the Haruno household. She didn't know how much longer she could have taken being in the house. Sakura, too, had left pretty early, but she didn't know where she went. She mentioned some girl named Ino to her mother before she left.

Karin pulled at some of the grass around her, ripping out blades of grass and scattering them in the light breeze around her. She didn't know why she disliked the pink-haired kunoichi so much. Every time she thought of her she was filled with rage.

"_It's because she's standing in the way of Sasuke and me. Tch, even though she's no competition. But the way Sasuke looks at her…argh! He should be looking at _me_ like that! Not some freak of nature. I'm the prettier one! I'm the one who cares about him more! She doesn't deserve him!"_

Picking up a pebble in the grass, Karin hurled the stone at the water. It splashed in, sending a small wall of water up around it and ending with a ripple that slowly drifted from the focal point to the edges of the lake. She let out a ragged sigh, feeling a little better.

"_I'll show her. I'll prove to Sasuke that I'm the one who's most worthy of his attention. Not her. I'll prove that he should like me, not her. He'll drop her and let her slither into the back of his mind, while I take her place."_

Suddenly, something came to the kunoichi. A moment later a sinister grin spread across her face.

"_Oh yes…that could work beautifully. She won't know what hit her. And then I'll be there…and Sasuke will be mine."_

'"'

A knock resounded on the door, and with a huff, Suigetsu pushed himself off of the couch he laid on and made his way to the door.

When he opened it, he immediately recognized who stood in front of him.

The two blinked at each other as they met eyes. Then Suigetsu grinned. "Well, well, I remember you."

Naruto stared back at the shark-boy. "Wait a minute…aren't you…? Ah! You're from Sasuke's old group!"

"You're the kid who gave us the slip in that fight to go take Sasuke back. Been a while. I mean, I've already seen Sakura, didn't think I'd see you."

"Yeah, anyway, is the Teme here?"

"Teme…clever. You must be talking about Sasuke. He's in his room."

Naruto stepped into the house, taking a second to glance at the shark-man beside him, and then the orange-haired man who sat on a chair.

"And you're that other guy." Naruto declared.

Juugo nodded. "What brings you here?"

"What brings me here? What brings _you _guys here? I thought…oh! I need to see Sasuke! Hold on, we'll talk later."

Naruto then strode across the living room towards the hallway that led to Sasuke's room. Without bothering to knock, he barged into the Uchiha's room.

Sasuke had been lying with his back to the door. When Naruto entered, he turned to see who had come in. Upon seeing Naruto, he rolled over to sit up on the bed. "What are you doing here, Dobe?" Sasuke questioned.

Naruto pointed an accusing finger at his teammate. "You and Sakura broke your promise! You said you'd both come and eat some celebratory ramen with me for your coming back! I waited there for two hours before I ordered my own bowl and went home! How could you guys forget about me?"

Sasuke let out a sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "Well as you can see, we had some unexpected things pop up."

"That would be us!" Suigetsu chimed from behind Naruto, who jumped slightly when Suigetsu's voice suddenly boomed from behind him.

Naruto turned to look at Suigetsu for a moment, and then turned back to Sasuke. "That's still no reason to just leave me hanging!"

Sasuke let out another sigh. "If it makes you feel better, we'll get you ramen next time."

"Well, I hadn't really been thinking about you treating me, but thanks! I'll take that offer! And now…where's Sakura?"

"What do I look like? Her keeper?"

"That's what I was thinking." Suigetsu commented.

Shooting a glare over Naruto's shoulder at the shark-man, Sasuke grunted in annoyance. "Well I'm not. I don't know where she could be."

"Then let's go find her and get some ramen!" Naruto exclaimed, coming forward and urging the Uchiha to stand up. "Come on! Come on! Or I won't stop bugging you and hanging your offer to treat me over your head. Let's go!"

As Naruto began to drag Sasuke from the house, Suigetsu started to trail after them.

"Mind if we tag along?" He asked, gesturing at himself and Juugo, who had yet to move from his original spot.

Sasuke could already tell Suigetsu only wanted to come because Sakura was going to be there, and took in a breath to tell him no, but Naruto beat him. "Sure! The more the merrier! And I bet Sasuke will treat us all! Let's go!"

Sasuke tried to make a retort, but was cut off this time by Suigetsu. "Great! Let's go, Juugo! Ramen has gotta be at least ten times better than Sasuke's cooking."

Juugo stood. "Alright."

'"'

"I guess…I do." Sakura muttered into her arms, having laid her head on the table.

"I thought as much. Now declare it to make it official!" Ino cheered.

Sakura half-glared up at her friend. "I'm not going to declare it! You know how embarrassing that would be!"

"Right, right…well then at least say it to me."

Sakura let out a huge sigh as she lifted her upper body off of the table. She stared down at her hot chocolate for a moment before she looked at Ino.

"Well, let's hear it." Ino urged.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Sakura questioned.

"You did it to yourself a long time ago. I'm just bringing it out, letting it soak up the sun and bloom into something spectacular!"

"You've been spending too much time in that flower shop of yours. You've got weeds growing in your brain."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Quit trying to change the subject. I'm not going to stop pestering you until you tell it to me in plain English. Do I need to go back through the whole chat we've just had?"

Sakura averted her gaze back to the cup of hot chocolate. It was almost finished. "No."

"Good, because I mean, that must have been half an hour. I never knew we could get so analytical."

"Would you stop?"

"Would you finally just say it?"

Sakura took in a deep breath, preparing herself. Her face felt hot, and she assumed she must have been blushing for at least the past ten minutes. "I love Sasuke."

"You're _in _love with Sasuke. There's a difference you know. I can just as easily say 'I love Sakura' and people would know we're just talking friendly love."

Suppressing a snide comment and a glare, Sakura took in another breath, the color on her face fading slightly from the oxygen she'd been taking in. "I am _in _love with Sasuke."

"You're in love with Sasuke _Uchiha_."

"You know what, damn it? Enough of the specifics! I've already said it! We all already know! I am in love with Sasuke Uchiha. I accept it, I acknowledge it. I understand why I am in love with him. We don't need any more than that."

A big grin was plastered to Ino's face as Sakura spoke. Even when she had finished she continued to grin. Finally becoming curious, Sakura pressed the subject.

"What's up with you?"

"Romantic irony is what's up with me. Turn around."

At Ino's words Sakura's face flared up to a cherry color and she whipped her head around to see exactly what Ino meant. Sasuke was coming up the road with a group of others. Her blush faded off greatly as she realized it wasn't possible for Sasuke to have heard her confession, but it couldn't stop the initial redness on her face over Ino's so-called "romantic irony".

As the group Sasuke walked with drew closer, she picked out who it was that was with him. She could identify Naruto, Suigetsu, and Juugo all with the Uchiha.

When the group finally seemed to become aware that the two girls sat watching them, a big grin reached Naruto's face and he dashed over to the two.

By the time the blond reached them Sakura had managed to get her face color under control, and met him with a smile. "Hey Naruto."

"Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully. "We've been looking for you!"

Sakura gazed at her teammate with a perplexed look. "Looking for me?"

Naruto nodded his head vigorously. "Yeah, we're all heading out to ramen seeing as you two forgot about your offer to eat some with me yesterday." A guilty look crossed Sakura's face as she realized he was right. "And the Teme's going to be treating!"

"Sasuke's treating?" Sakura echoed.

"Yep, now come on! You can talk or do whatever it is you girls do when you get together later. We've got ramen to eat!"

"Uh," Sakura turned to look at her female blond friend, who simply nodded her head and gestured for her to go. "Alright…." She stood as the rest of the group met them.

Ino stared at the two boys she didn't recognized. "Who are those two?"

"Um, well, this is Suigetsu," Sakura gestured to the shark-man, "and this is Juugo." She shifted to gesture at Juugo. "It's…a bit of a complicated story. I'll tell you later."

"Right…." Ino breathed, looking the two men over. Then she grinned. "Well, you go have fun. And remember the talk we had, Sakura!"

Sakura had to try hard to force down the blush that threatened to rise. She turned away. "Yeah, yeah. I'll see you later."

With that, the group of five set off down the road towards Ichiraku Ramen.

Naruto gazed at his pink-haired teammate. "What were you talking to Ino about?"

Sakura tried to keep her eyes trained on her ground in front of her so she wouldn't have to look up and inevitably see Sasuke who walked next to the blond who addressed her. "It's nothing. Girl stuff."

"Alright," Naruto shrugged, then dove into a conversation with Suigetsu and Juugo about the fight the three of them had had. Sakura listened to the conversation with a light smile on her face.

Unintentionally, Sakura glanced up and met eyes with Sasuke, who had been looking at her. They stared at each other for a moment in a daze, and then they both looked away.

Mentally, Sakura huffed. _"I may have accepted that I still love him, but…I still have no idea how he feels about me. Romance is so hard…."_

**And that's a wrap! I'll write more of my author's note later. I reeeaaally gotta go! (Coming back later.) Whew…sorry, had to get in the shower yesterday. (Or at least the yesterday of the day I wrote this.) Anyway. But I pushed it just so that I could finish because I was on a roll knowing exactly where I was gonna go and didn't want to risk losing it by getting off! And I finished it! The a/n here I didn't care much about. I can write this whenever I want. I could even delete all this and put in new stuff for you guys to read and you would have never even known! (Yeah, think about that!) Haaa…it's just 24 hours now since I was sitting here writing out the last of this chapter. I'm gonna go now…I'm tired. Till the next chapter! **


	22. Action and Reaction

**Chapter Twenty-two- Action and Reaction**

"Ah! There's nothing better than Ichiraku Ramen!" Naruto cheered merrily as he gazed down at his fresh bowl of ramen.

"And of course it always tastes better when it's bought for you." Suigetsu snickered, glancing towards Sasuke sitting on the other side of Naruto.

Sasuke made no inclination that he had heard the shark-man. He simply stared forward to the back of the ramen shop.

Suigetsu frowned and shifted his attention to his own bowl of ramen. "That's the thing about trying to mess with you; it's no fun when you don't get a reaction."

"You said it." Naruto stated beside Suigetsu, already slurping up his noodles. "It's hilarious seeing him react to what I've done to him or others have. Oh! Haha! Sakura! Remember when you and the other girls threw Sasuke into the lake when we had gone camping? The way he yelled! That was hilarious!"

Sakura glanced towards her blond teammate, having been seated next to Sasuke. She tried to keep her gaze from wandering to the Uchiha, seeing as now she realized how she really felt about him. "Oh, yeah. I remember."

Naruto stared back at the kunoichi, thrown off by her quiet reaction. He gulped down some of his noodles. "What's got you?"

"Hm?" Sakura's eyes widened innocently, still trying not to look at her Uchiha teammate who sat next to her. "Uh…what do you mean?"

Naruto's brow rose, and then he looked at Sasuke, shrugged his shoulders, and returned to his ramen. "Never mind. The point is, when the Teme becomes an ice cube like he's being right now, it's not as fun teasing him."

"Well I apologize if I've decided not to fall for one of your stupid antics." Sasuke muttered.

Naruto didn't say anything for a moment, having been busy trying to swallow a big wad of ramen noodles. Once he got them down, he turned his attention to Sasuke. "If you were really sorry you'd say something to our intentional attacks!"

"How does that make sense…?" Sasuke muttered again. Seeming to finally realize he had his own bowl of ramen in front of him, he reached over to grab a pair of chopsticks, and unwittingly brushed his arm against Sakura, who leaned back slightly, trying to escape the feelings she became aware of from his touch.

Sasuke noticed her motion, but made no comment as he drew his arm back. He had also noticed how she was acting the whole time the five of them were there. Did she not want to be with them right now? Granted, he didn't really want to be there as well, having been forced to come, but usually Sakura was almost as anxious as Naruto when it came to all of them having an opportunity to get together. Her behavior struck him as strange.

He glanced to the opposite side where he saw Naruto, Suigetsu, and Juugo all lined up eating from their own bowls. His eyes landed on Juugo, then dragged their way back down to Suigetsu.

"_They don't have anything to do with it, do they?" _He wondered. _"She doesn't usually get bashful in the face of new people. Then again they are the ones who had been travelling with me after a while when I left Orochimaru. Does seeing them with me give her bad memories of the past? But why? I'm back now, and she knows I'm not going to be leaving again. What's gotten into her?"_

"Earth to the Teme." Naruto called. "Yo, Teme, if you're not gonna eat your ramen, I'm gonna snatch it away."

Sasuke snapped out of his train of thought and dragged his eyes over to the blond beside him, who eyed between him and his full ramen bowl with a hopeful look.

Sasuke let out a huff, and stuck his chopsticks into the soup, bringing up a string of noodles. "Shut up, I'm eating it."

Naruto frowned, and then his eyes flicked between Sasuke and Sakura. "You and Sakura are both acting weird. You two aren't secretly dating are you?"

Beside him, Sakura tensed, and Sasuke nearly gagged on his noodles. He forced them down and glared at the blond. "What the hell is your problem?"

"What the hell is _your_ problem?" Naruto retorted. "I'm just curious as a friend and your teammate."

Sasuke continued to glare at Naruto, and then returned his attention to his ramen bowl. "No, we're not."

"You sure about that? Is he telling the truth, Sakura? You guys know you can tell me anything!" Naruto leaned forward to see the pink-haired girl.

Sakura's cheeks flushed slightly as she glared down at the counter. "Of course we're not. Quit with the delusions already, Naruto."

Naruto sighed. "Fine, whatever."

Silence fell for a few minutes as everyone continued to eat. In Sakura's mind though, she could care less about the ramen. Her conversation with Ino rang through her head.

"_Well how do you feel when he's around?" Ino had asked her._

"_Well…I guess I feel happy. But that's understandable. He's my friend, and my teammate. I'm happy when anyone I know is around me." _

"_Alright…well, compare what you feel with him around now to what you felt when you were younger and so sure of yourself that you were in love with him."_

"_Um…" Sakura stammered, her cheeks reddening as she tried to recall how she used to feel when Sasuke was around back when she told herself she loved him. "Well…come to think of it…I don't know if anything's different. I mean…after our mission to the Land of Waves recently…."_

"_What happened at the Land of Waves?"_

"_Uh…well, for one, the two of us sat together on the roof of our client's house for a while. I mean, we weren't doing anything. Just sitting around, not even talking, just…looking at the morning view. But…afterwards when we started to leave, I did start to contemplate whether or not I still had feelings for him, but we left soon after so my mind went back to thinking about the mission rather than my feelings." _

"_Is that all?"_

"_Um…I think before that…or after…I can't remember anymore, everything happened so fast. There was a night when he was taking watch, and I went out there. He had been on watch for a pretty long time, and after having been up the whole day, I knew he was tired, so I offered to take his shift. A couple minutes later, he had fallen asleep against me, and then I ended up leaning against him too and falling asleep. Wasn't that great being woken up by Naruto though…."_

"_You two _slept _together?" _

"_Well when you say it like _that_ you make it sound like…ugh. It was an accident."_

"_Well how'd you feel when he fell asleep against you?" _

"_I guess…happy, but at the time it was because I was thinking of how he was back with us after so many years and he seemed to just slip right back into the group like he had never been gone."_

"_Uh-huh." Ino sounded unconvinced._

"_It's true!"_

"_Uh-_huh_." _

"_Ino…."_

"_Whatever. So answer this. Back in the past, _why_ were you in love with him?"_

_Sakura had to take a moment to think about this. "I guess because, well, I admit in the past I was just a fangirl drooling over the hot guy in class. But…after we became Genin and were put on the same team, I started to get to know him. Yes, I do admit, he had an ego, which wasn't helped with Naruto around and their constant rivalry going on. But then when it was just the two of us…say like…back in the Forest of Death when Naruto got separated from us, that cold part seemed to be gone. At the time it was mostly because we were both in fear for our lives but…he took care of me. When Orochimaru had paralyzed us and drew some kunai to kill us, he saved me. He stabbed his leg and even though he was scared out of his wits and focusing on survival…he still did whatever he could to make sure I survived too."_

"_How sweet."_

"_And even when we weren't alone and weren't fearing for our lives, he took care of me. Remember how he attacked those Sound ninja after they had beaten me up?"_

_Ino nodded, remembering._

"_Though I stopped him because I didn't like seeing him become what he was becoming, he was doing it for me. He had a caring side to him. I began to see many sides of him over time, aside from his aloof character. He cared, he became angry, he was sad, he was just…a Sasuke I never knew existed until I saw it firsthand. I guess that's where I first started to fall in love. He wasn't just good-looking, he was multi-layered, like any human being, and the more I saw…I guess the more I liked. I loved him for him."_

_Ino smiled. "And now?"_

_Sakura took another moment before she responded. "And now…nothing's changed. He's still Sasuke. He still cares, still gets angry, and still becomes sad, though it would seem he's lost a few layers of that cold exterior of his. He expresses how he really feels more often now. He…."_

"_He's still the same guy as before, just, honestly, hotter with maturity." _

"_Ino," Sakura's face flushed, and then she looked down at the table. "…You're right though. He's still the same Sasuke as ever. And…I'm still the same Sakura."_

_A contented smile reached Ino's face as she realized Sakura now understood how she felt. How she had always felt. "Yep." _

Sakura pulled out of her reverie, staring down into her ramen. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sasuke as he moved his arm and ate his ramen.

"_He's still the same Sasuke…and I'm still the same Sakura who's fallen in love with him." _

Naruto's voice shattered through Sakura's thoughts and the silence of the ramen stand. "Oh! Hey! Teme, Sakura, forgot to ask. You guys wanna go check out a movie tonight? That new one?"

Sakura and Sasuke both turned their attention to the blond who now grinned at them, awaiting their response.

Sakura was the first to respond. She shrugged her shoulders. "Alright."

As Naruto's gaze then focused on Sasuke, the Uchiha sighed. "Fine."

"Great! Let's all meet at six, alright?"

"Okay." Sasuke and Sakura answered simultaneously, causing Sakura to avert her gaze to stare at the counter.

"What about us?" Suigetsu piped up.

Naruto turned to look at the shark-man. "Actually, if you don't mind, we'd like some good Team Seven time."

Suigetsu scoffed at this, and then returned to his ramen bowl. "Fine."

Naruto nodded, content. "Yeah, and I guess me and Sakura can both pay for the movies, seeing as you're about to become broke, Teme. Another large order of pork ramen, old man!"

'"'"'"'"

Karin returned back to the Haruno house by a little past five, having spent a majority of her time at the lake developing the plot she had come up with in order to make Sasuke hers. When she came in, she noticed how quiet the house was. It appeared that the house was empty.

She huffed. It didn't matter much to her. She trudged up the stairs, hoping to find a towel and to go take a long, hot shower while she mulled over the details of her newly developed scheme. She stopped at the top of the stairs, however, and heard the sounds of someone moving around. She glanced around to find the noises coming from Sakura's room.

Karin walked over to Sakura's door, thinking of how last night she had gone to bed after locking the door. Sakura didn't trust, nor did she seem to actually like Karin. She was only housing her because Sasuke had asked her to. Without much thought, Karin then grabbed hold of the door handle and twisted the knob, opening the door. She walked in to find Sakura dressed into clothes set for more casual wear than what she typically wore as a ninja.

Sakura looked surprised to see Karin enter, and then her face morphed into a look of contained annoyance. "I see you're back."

Karin frowned. "Where're your parents?"

"Not home." Sakura answered. "They decided to go out for the night. Actually, you're going to have the house to yourself for a while, because I'm going out too."

"Dressed like that?"

Sakura's nose wrinkled like she smelled something bad, and she had to try hard to suppress a snide comment. "I'll just be with my team. You know, Naruto and Sasuke."

At the mention of Sasuke, Karin tensed. "What are you doing?"

Sakura sighed, annoyed to have to explain herself to the red-head. "We're going to see a movie. _Just_ the three of us."

"I never said I wanted to come."

"I never said I invited you." This time, Sakura couldn't hold down the sharp edge to her voice. "Though if you want, Suigetsu and Juugo said they were going to check out the town at night. You could probably head over there and catch them."

As she finished speaking, Sakura turned her back to look into a dresser behind her, searching for something. Karin bubbled inside, thinking of her plan. Soon, she thought, she'd be a regular invite to the group hanging out, because Sasuke would be all too willing to take her. A sneer made its way onto Karin's face as she watched Sakura's back. The situation, she realized, was all too perfect.

Sakura let out an exasperated huff, not finding what she was looking for, and shut the drawer. She wheeled around, planning on checking the nightstand by her bed for what she searched for. She stopped dead and let out a small gasp as she saw that Karin was suddenly in front of her.

Moving too fast for Sakura to react with a block, Karin lashed out at the kunoichi. Sakura tried to move back, but she rammed into the dresser behind her, sending a thrill of pain through her back as the handles of the drawers jabbed into her. Karin's fist connected hard with the side of Sakura's face, and she fell to the side onto the floor.

Karin stood over her. "That's where you got me in the face, just to let you know."

Sakura tried to lift herself up, but her knee caught in the skirt she wore and she fell back to the floor, cursing as Karin put a foot on her back and pushed her down to the ground.

Karin let out a mocking laugh. "For someone who thinks they're so cool they can beat anyone and associate with Sasuke, you're pathetic."

"Get off of me." Sakura commanded, rage evident in her voice.

Karin scoffed. "Like that's going to work. I won't do something just because you say so, bitch. I'd think a ninja would have a few more brain cells than that."

Sakura tried to twist her arm closest to Karin around to grab her ankle, but Karin's other foot quickly came out and slammed onto her forearm. Sakura let out a yelp as pain shot through her arm. She tried to move her other arm to try again, but then she realized that it had been pinned under her when she fell. She couldn't reach the red-head now.

Karin's sneer widened into a malevolent grin as Sakura writhed in pain, and she let out a contented laugh as she ground her foot into Sakura's arm, gaining a suppressed cry from the kunoichi.

"Good thing I didn't take my shoes off at the door." Karin commented, looking down at her boots. "At first I just wanted to scrape up the floor to see you and your parents' reactions, but this is much better."

"Why the hell are you doing this?" Sakura spat.

Karin glared down at the kunoichi. "I just can't stand people like you. People who think they're so tough. People who think they're above someone like me. People who think they have a shot at Sasuke when he obviously is supposed to be with me!"

At Karin's last statement, Sakura's eyes widened. She craned her neck to see the red-head whose face was full of loathing for her.

"You're jealous." Sakura stated, feeling almost something like pity creep into her, pity which quickly died out as she saw Karin's expression. Karin's eyes flared and she pressed harder onto Sakura's arm, but Sakura bit back a cry of pain.

"What do I have to be jealous of?" Karin seethed. "You're weak. And ugly. And stupid. And you don't have a fraction of a chance with Sasuke." For each thing she stated, Karin stomped her foot down onto Sakura's back.

Sakura grit her teeth together, trying through the pain to come up with a way to get the red-head off of her.

Karin brought her foot down again, and this time Sakura heard something crunch. Sakura's eyes widened as pain overtook her. With her arm pinned under her having also been caught at a bad angle for her hand, all the incessant pounding finally started to take its toll on her wrist.

Having heard the crunch, Karin's eyes sparked jovially. "What a nice sound. Wonder if I'll hear it again." She then brought her foot off of Sakura, and in a swift motion kicked the kunoichi in the side. Another crack sounded, this time from one of Sakura's ribs, and she slammed against a bedpost.

Sakura looked up at Karin, who grinned with sick satisfaction as she approached the kunoichi. Her broken wrist now out from under her, she cradled it in her bruised arm as it hung at an unnatural angle.

Karin now stood over Sakura, and glared down at her.

Karin snickered cruelly. "It looks like you're going to have to miss your little get-together, but don't worry, I'll go. I'm sure Sasuke will be much happier seeing me come down the road towards him than a stupid girl like you."

Sakura glared back at the red-head, and then she spat, getting her spit all over Karin's exposed toes. Karin jerked back with a disgusted and furious look on her face as Sakura spoke. "Too bad for you that I'm sure Sasuke doesn't like people who dress like sluts, and that you're not getting away with this. Sasuke and Naruto will find out, and then you'll get kicked out of this village so quick it'll make your head spin."

"Oh, yes, I'm sure they will find out." Karin stated, ignoring Sakura's last comment. She brought her foot up again. "Of course, by the time they figure it out, it'll be far too late."

And then, for Sakura, everything went black.

**And we cut it off here! HAAA! I have done it! I am stretching the chapters once more! The whole "Karin's plan" thing was supposed to start and end in this one chapter, but then I decided "hell, I'm gonna make this last two chapters! There is plenty I can go back and make longer or add in extra parts!" And I'm right! There is an extra 400 words to the Sakura's house scene (and I might add more), and at this very moment I still need to add some more to the ramen stand scene, but I can pull it off! Then there's also this which is taking up room. So…instead of the next chapter starting up the next arc of the story, the next chapter will end the Taka drama arc, and then chapter 24 will be the beginning of the next arc. So till then readers! **


	23. So Close

**Chapter Twenty-three- So Close**

"_Rgh, damn it. Why is she so…darn…heavy?" _Karin grumbled in her mind as she dragged Sakura's body across the floor of her house.

Karin dropped the kuniochi's arms and stared down at her unconscious form. A growl formed in her throat.

"_It'd probably be a hundred times easier to just shove a kunai into her chest right now. But no…I can't do that. It would lead them straight to me. No…I need to do this right. Need to stick to my plan." _

With a tired sigh, Karin bent down, pulled Sakura up, and with a big heave, she pulled her over her shoulder. However, the first attempt ended in Karin dropping the kunoichi back onto the ground. Karin snorted in annoyance, but stretched down to lift her up again. She tried a different angle, and managed to throw Sakura back over her shoulder. She wobbled dangerously to the side for a moment, caught herself on the wall, and pushed herself towards the door.

"_I'd say I need to start working out again, but once this is over…I'm sure Sasuke will be more than happy to be my muscles. Heehee." _

With that thought in her mind, Karin pried the door open, stepped outside, and shut it with a bang.

If everything went right, she thought, it'd be the last time Sakura was ever in her house.

'"'"'"'"

Sasuke stood in front of the movie theater, glancing around every once in a while to see if Naruto or Sakura were coming down the road.

Sasuke sighed, looking at a clock. It was ten minutes till 6. It was understandable that Naruto wasn't there yet, but he had thought that Sakura would have been there by now. Usually she arrived about fifteen to twenty minutes early.

Sasuke shook himself. _"Not like I…pay attention or anything. She'll be here soon…_they'll _be here soon. Sakura and Naruto. They'll be here." _

Glancing around again, he caught sight of a couple of girls who stared at him. Once his eyes landed on them, though, they huddled together, giggling.

"_Fangirls…."_ Sasuke huffed. _"Maybe I should head inside to wait."_

As if on cue, a frog suddenly leapt in front of the Uchiha. He stared down at it with a mix of confusion and in the back of his head, the thought that he knew what it was.

The frog stared up at him, and then it disappeared in a puff, leaving a folded piece of paper where it stood. Sasuke looked at the paper for a moment, and then reached down, picked it up, and opened it up.

_Hey Teme! _

Sasuke rolled his eyes; he knew it'd be Naruto.

_Guess what? Well…I drank some bad milk again. Yeah…not having fun here. Can't make it. So you and Sakura go on and watch the movie. I'll see it later or something. (And tell Sakura I'll pay her back for having to pay for the whole thing.) Have fuuuuun! ;D (And don't do anything in the dark of the theater Temeeee!) ;) _

Crunching the paper in his hands, he let out a ragged breath.

"_Something tells me he doesn't really have a stomach ache." _Sasuke sighed internally. _"I can't believe him. Actually…I can. I don't get what's going through his head. Is he trying to get me and Sakura together or something?" _

Sasuke stopped on his question, mulling over what he had just asked.

"_Why would he be trying to do that? I mean…doesn't he like Sakura? He sure as hell seemed to have a crush on her when we were Genin. It is possible he's just moved on…but I can't see why. After all…Sakura is quite—wait a minute, why am I thinking _that_? She's my teammate! I shouldn't be doing that. Though…she did say once that she loved me. Before she was just some mindless fangirl, but now…she's changed." _

Sasuke leaned back into the wall, letting out a sigh and closing his eyes.

"_She has changed quite a lot. She's stronger, and smarter, which is to be expected after so many years, but…it's astounding how far she's come in such a time. She's a medic now, she can crack someone's head open with a finger, she's knowledgeable, and she's just…more mature. Her body is now really fem—" _Sasuke shook his head _"—you're doing it again! She's your teammate! She's your friend! Get a grip on yourself!"_

Sasuke opened his eyes, scanning the area.

"_Where is she anyway? It must be six by now. It's not like her to not be here by now. Maybe something's actually happened to her. Unlike Naruto who's just faking. Heh, wouldn't that throw a wrench in his little plans. Though I think I should go see if she's alright."_

Sasuke took a step forward, but then stopped, thought for a moment, and then drew back to lean against the wall again.

"_Ten more minutes…I'll give her ten more minutes. She's got to be here by then or I'll head over to her house to see what's up."_

'"'"'"'"

"Yeah! I heard it's the best in town!"

"Ooh, it sounds so nice. When are we going to be there?"

"Soon, soon. Relax little lady."

"Okay."

Karin stepped out as she heard the couple's voices fade off down the road. She emerged from an alleyway and hurried over to the next one. She slipped inside; with Sakura still perched on her shoulder, and scanned the area for any other pedestrians.

"_This is such a pain."_ Karin huffed in her mind. _"But if I don't keep out of sight and I'm seen with her…things will get complicated, even after this mission is done."_

Finding that no one was in the immediate area, Karin emerged from the alleyway and made her way over to the next. The process was taking forever, but she wasn't being seen, which was what really mattered.

"_Besides…the darker it gets, the harder it is for people to see…and the easier my job becomes."_

Sliding out of yet another alleyway and crossing the street, Karin's plan played in her mind.

The first step was done. She had successfully knocked out Sakura. The second she was doing right now, dragging Sakura through the town is search of step three. Step three involved finding a building, preferably a pretty high one, and from that building she would throw the kunoichi. Ninja's travel by roof all the time, it made it easier for them to get around rather than shoving through the streets crowded with civilians. There would be grief, but not much suspicion if it appeared Sakura had lost her balance and tumbled from the side of a building to her death.

Karin grinned maliciously, thinking of her plan. Once that was over and Sakura was out of the way, then she'd initiate the next part of her plan. She was certain Sasuke would grieve over the loss of his teammate, so when she stepped in to comfort him, he would finally realize how great she was and would fall for her. Karin giggled. Her plan was perfect.

A moment later Karin stumbled forward on a rock. She cursed to herself. _"At least this is the hardest part of the plan. Stupid girl. Wish she was twenty pounds lighter." _

With a grunt, Karin made her way across the road again and dived into an alleyway. She poked her head out to scan the area once more. That's when her eyes landed on a building. It was four stories high with a considerable gap between it and the surrounding buildings. A smirk played on her lips. That was the building. It was set up all too perfectly.

With another grunt, Karin trudged forward, anxious to get to the building and initiate her plan.

'"'"'"'"

"Alright, it's been ten minutes." Sasuke muttered to himself, shoving himself off of the wall of the theater and into the road. "Let's go see what's taking her."

Sasuke walked down the road silently. The skies above were slowing morphing into darker and darker shades of blue as the sun set behind the village walls. He blinked, keeping his eyes adjusted to the darkness as he made his way down the road towards Sakura's house.

Internally he sighed. The day had been far from being a usual one. For one, he woke up to the sound of breaking glass when Suigetsu had gone into the kitchen in an attempt to make his own breakfast. That in turn brought back the realization that he wasn't the only person in his house. It was noisy company having Suigetsu and Juugo around. Suigetsu never stopped talking, and though Juugo was typically just there, his presence itself still filled up some space that was usually empty in his house.

After that he got the loud barging in from Naruto, who then proceeded to drag him out to ramen and make him pay for the whole thing. Now, he had been set up by the blond in what was obviously now an attempted matchmaker move to have him and Sakura together, and the kunoichi in question was late for the meeting, resulting in him now walking down the road towards his female teammate's house to see what was up.

He shook his head. The day couldn't get any more unusual.

As he walked past, a streetlight turned on above him. He stopped and tilted his head up to gaze at the light. Night was falling faster with winter around the bend.

Through the light, he caught what was discernibly a large figure moving up at the top of a building. He squinted against the light; something seemed off about the figure. Gazing at it harder, he realized why. It wasn't one large figure; it was two people, one being carried over the shoulder by another.

Sasuke blinked, trying to see who it was that could be carrying around another person over the rooftops at this time of night. For a moment he contemplated dismissing it as a ninja coming back from a mission taking another ninja to the hospital, but the hospital was in the opposite direction. Something felt off about the situation.

The figure carrying the other then came to an abrupt stop at the edge of the building they stood on. They then proceeded to drop the other person off of their shoulder and perch them partially off the side of the building. Sasuke's brow rose at this. Something seemed wrong about what he was watching; and with how the person being carried flopped around, it was easy to tell that they were unconscious.

He took a step forward, contemplating between going up there to see what was going on and continuing on his way to Sakura's house.

A little ways off, another streetlight turned on. The light cast by the lamp partially illuminated the scene on the rooftop as the figure who had been carrying the other now began to lift the unconscious one and shove them precariously farther off the edge.

That's when Sasuke's heart stopped. The figure was Karin, and the unconscious person slouched halfway off the building was Sakura.

For a moment all Sasuke could do was stare. Why was this happening? What was Karin thinking? What happened to Sakura? The questions buzzed through Sasuke's mind as fast as a bullet, but the next thing stopped all of his thoughts in their tracks. Sakura was falling, and Sasuke could hear Karin laughing triumphantly.

There was no hesitation. The next instant was a rush of adrenaline as Sasuke soared through the air. Completely intent on what he was trying to do. Above, Karin continued to laugh as she watched Sakura's body descend; sure that she was a goner.

Karin gazed merrily down at the scene. A split second later, though, Sakura's body was gone, and she was nowhere to be seen. Karin gawked down at the ground, and then she realized what happened. She whipped her head to the side as she caught Sasuke's chakra, which she hadn't noticed in her focused state of trying to get rid of Sakura. She stared down at the ground where Sasuke stood with Sakura in his arms. Karin could sense like a sharp dagger in her side the rush of angered, flaring chakra Sasuke sent in her direction. He was pissed, and she knew that he knew it was her that stood on the top of the building.

Karin turned, hoping to run and get away before Sasuke got there, but her hopes died as she turned and Sasuke was there. She gasped, surprised by his extreme speed.

Sasuke's eyes blazed, his Sharingan activated, making him seem all the more threatening to the red-head. Karin looked as frightened as a deer caught in headlights.

Sasuke's arms reflexively clutched Sakura closer to him as he spoke to the girl before him. "_What_ were you _thinking_?"

Karin shivered, even though she didn't feel cold. Sasuke's hard gaze stabbed right through her as she grappled for something to say that may lighten the situation. "I…I…I just…."

The look on Sasuke's face was murderous, choking down Karin's words. "Just _what_? What exactly did you hope to accomplish? To _kill_ her? And her wrist, I can see it's broken. You couldn't leave it at trying to kill her you had to rough her up as well?" Every word Sasuke growled dripped with a poisonous tinge that made him seem like a cobra ready to strike and kill its prey.

The feelings Sasuke felt were overwhelming. He felt rage, anger, like he wanted nothing better than to kill the girl before him. Though at the same time, he felt extreme relief. If he hadn't stopped and looked up when he did, Sakura would have been a goner. For a brief moment, Sasuke attempted to think of life without Sakura. Then he realized. He couldn't. A life without Sakura was entirely unimaginable. Even when he was with Orochimaru, he could only bear being away from her because he knew she was alive.

Inside, something felt like it connected.

He continued to stare down at Karin, waiting, almost daring her to speak. He had no intentions on repeating himself.

"I…I…" Karin stammered, and then, suddenly, she got an angry look in her eyes. "I did it for us! What could this girl possibly represent that you would care about her so much? Don't you know how I feel about you? What could she have that I don't? She's just…she's just standing in the way of what _we _should be! I'm the one who loves you! She does too, but not as much as me! I deserve to have you! Not her!"

Something flashed across Sasuke's blood-red eyes, and Karin gasped, taking a step backwards as though he had shoved her.

Karin's face cracked, and she quickly looked as though she were on the verge of tears. "You don't…love her…do you? Why does she…?" Karin glared down at Sakura's limp form through her gathering tears, and then she fell to her knees. "Why does she have it all? Why does she have the nice hair, the sparkling eyes, the brute strength, mental capacity, medical skills? Why does she get it all, and I don't get any of it! Why does she get you too! What do I get? What can I have over her? What?"

Karin's tears fell and she sniffled as she finished her speech. She lifted an arm to wipe away her tears.

"Why does she get all the good things? And all I get is a mangled body and not even enough charm to win you over? Where's the fairness in that?" Karin sobbed.

Sasuke seemed to remain entirely impassive as Karin spoke, and even when she finished, he said nothing.

Karin looked up at the Uchiha, knowing she wasn't going to get an answer out of him. She stood up and turned to leave, stopping only for a moment to turn her head over her shoulder to speak. "It's obvious I'm not wanted here. I doubt even Suigetsu and Juugo want me around. So…I guess this is it."

Still Sasuke said nothing. He made no response to Karin's words, or even appeared to have heard her.

Karin sniffled, and wiped at her wet cheeks. "I didn't think you'd care. It seems the only people who will ever hold a dear enough place in that heart of yours to see any sort of warmth are people like her." Karin gazed at Sakura's body again, though instead of anger, in her eyes flashed a sad sort of jealousy. "I guess you really do love her. I've never seen you handle anyone so delicately." Karin turned her head and started to leave. "Good bye."

When Karin was gone, Sasuke's Sharingan deactivated, and his eyes dropped down to Sakura in his arms. What Karin said to him entered his mind, and not for the first time, Sasuke found his eyes traveling over Sakura's form. From her short, pink hair to the tips of her cream-toned toes. His mind played through every instance he could recall at the moment involving Sakura. Meetings on the bridge, lunches at Ichiraku's, days on end of missions with Team Seven. From the light-hearted moments where she and he bashed on Naruto, to the bitter partings, and bittersweet moments where one protected the other. Much of his life involved the pink-haired girl and he couldn't imagine what life would be like if they never were assigned to be on the same team so many years ago.

Sasuke's grip on Sakura tightened slightly, drawing her limp form closer to him.

"_I guess," _Sasuke thought, _"you never really realize how much you love someone…until they're almost taken away from you."_

**And we are done! Taka Drama arc is complete! Annnnd…Sasuke realizes he's in love with Sakura! I bet you readers can just about taste the SasuSaku to come in the next arc of the story! Things are ramping up to the climax of the story! The big scene that makes or breaks the story! And it's coming in the next arc! (When exactly,**__**I don't know. Maybe chapter…26…27. I have my notebook next to me, but I'm not done planning.) Though it's coming! (In fact, it's been in my head since I started this story. Today in fact, at least on the day I'm writing this, the big scene I'm talking about has been running through my head all day.) And soon I can write it out! Fwaha! Well, anyway. May have to go through here and do a liiiitle bit of stretching. I hadn't planned on Karin's breaking down till I was suddenly writing it, which boosted what I thought this was going to reach. So anyway, till the next chapter! **


	24. Missions to Start

**Chapter Twenty-four- Missions to Start**

"Ahh, what time is it?" Naruto yawned as he sat up in bed.

"Quarter past nine."

"Hm, okay," Naruto responded, rubbing his eyes. Then he blinked, realizing that he had been answered. Naruto turned his head to the side and was greeted by the silver-haired, one-eyed face of Kakashi.

Naruto blinked again, thinking he was dreaming. Kakashi's eye closed, indicating the smile behind his mask. "Morning."

Naruto stared at his Sensei for another moment before he spoke. "What the hell are you doing in my house?"

Kakashi chuckled, propping a hand against the windowsill he was perched on. "I've come to gather everyone up."

"Everyone?" Naruto echoed. "What's going on?"

Kakashi's eye opened and he gazed at Naruto, a hint of anticipation in his eye. "Team Seven's got a new mission."

"'"'"'"

"Temeeee! Wakey-wakey!" Naruto called, pounding on the front door of the Uchiha's place.

The door was yanked open with such sudden force that Naruto stumbled forward a step when he pounded on the air. Sasuke stood on the other side of the door, looking annoyed and as though he had been woken from sleep.

"What is it?" Sasuke growled irritably, but straightened up a moment later when he saw Kakashi behind the blond. "I just got the house back to myself, and now it's being invaded by another two people?"

"Suigetsu and Juugo are gone? Ah, well, we'll have to visit them some time. I kinda liked them." Naruto commented, and then snapped back to a more serious tone. "We've got a mission!"

Sasuke stared at the two men before him, sighed, and then turned around. "Give me a bit to get ready."

"Hurry, hurry! We still have to pick up Sakura!" Naruto declared as Sasuke receded back towards his room.

At the mention of Sakura, Sasuke stopped moving for a fraction of a second, but kept moving quickly enough that it was hardly noticed. It was just two days ago that Sasuke had saved Sakura from Karin and came to realize how he felt for the kunoichi.

While Sakura was still unconscious, he had taken her to her house, relieved to find that her parents weren't home and that Karin didn't appear to have gotten there yet either. When she finally came to she was weak at first, not saying anything for a bit as she healed her broken wrist and rib. While she healed though, Sasuke had explained to her what happened. He couldn't tell how she reacted to all the information, as most of the time he didn't even know if she was really listening with her being so intent on healing her injuries.

When she finished, she expressed openly how much she had hated Karin since she'd first seen her. She seemed pleased to hear that Karin had no intentions of staying at the Haruno household anymore. Sasuke didn't know what Karin was going to do from there, but he didn't care, even if it was partially thanks to her that he came to understand how he felt about Sakura.

The whole time Sasuke hardly took his eyes off of Sakura; partly to be sure that she was okay, and partly as though he was trying to memorize every little thing about her that he hadn't noticed before. The specific color of her eyes, the sleek curve of her legs, the shape of her face.

When everything was done, the last thing on the minds of the two was a movie. Sakura left for bed and Sasuke walked home. The next day it was announced that Suigetsu and Juugo had found a place to stay during their nighttime outing, as they had had a run-in with Tsunade herself, who told them that they had found a place that the two of them could stay rather than having to occupy Sasuke's house. The whole day from there was filled with having to help them settle in to their new place. After all that was done, he had hoped to catch up on some sleep, but now it seemed that was thrown out the window as he prepared to receive their mission.

"_Well," _Sasuke thought as he dressed for the day, _"a mission means a few days or so with Sakura…shouldn't be too bad."_

'"'"'"'"

"Hey Sakura! We got a mission to go on!" Naruto cheered as Sakura answered the door.

"A mission? Alright, let me get ready and we can head down to Lady Tsunade's." Sakura responded, slipping out of sight behind the door.

The guys walked in after her, entering her living room. Even coming into her home, Sasuke found himself taking in all sorts of new details. Like how the furniture in the room fit together, the colors of the walls, the family pictures scattered about. Sasuke felt a small curve form on his mouth as he spotted a picture of Sakura from back when she was a little kid just entering the Academy. Now that he thought about it, that was over ten years ago. It had been over ten years since they had first enrolled in the Academy, and so it had also been ten years since Sasuke had first met her. The time just seemed to dissolve away.

"Do you think he's constipated?" Naruto whispered to their Sensei.

"I think he's just spacing out." Kakashi answered, his eye trained on the pages of his book.

Sasuke blinked, coming back to attention as he shifted his gaze towards the two men who had seated themselves on the couch in Sakura's living room. "What?"

"Nothing," Naruto responded, waving a hand dismissively. "So, Kakashi-Sensei, what's this mission about?"

"Dunno," Kakashi responded, flipping to the next page of his book with a low chuckle over the contents. "I just got a message this morning from Lady Hokage telling me to round you three up and come by to get a new mission."

"Oh," Naruto breathed, a little downhearted to have to wait to find out what their next big mission was about. "I hope it's not something like our last mission."

"No," Kakashi responded, "it's not a set-up to test Sasuke's trust. The Hokage already trusts him again. We're just being sent on another run-of-the-mill mission. Just like old times."

"Just like old times, huh?" Naruto repeated, and then slouched back against the couch. "That's nice."

A couple moments later Sakura emerged from upstairs, declaring that she was ready to go. The four then set out in the direction of the Hokage's building.

'"'"'"'"

"Come in," Tsunade declared as she heard a knock reverberate through her office.

A second later the door clicked open, and Kakashi poked his head inside. "I got them, just as you asked."

"Good," Tsunade replied, looking up from a pile of papers. "Come on in."

The four entered Tsunade's office and shifted to stand in a line before Tsunade's desk.

Tsunade's fingers twined in front of her habitually as she leaned forward to address the four ninja. "As I'm sure Kakashi here has filled you in on, you're all going on a mission."

Naruto nodded his head enthusiastically. "And this time you're not sending some guy disguised as a rogue after us to beat us up, right?"

Tsunade's eyes flicked to Kakashi, who smiled behind his mask as he remembered what Naruto referred to. "No, don't worry about that. It's just a mission."

"Alright, so let's hear it!" Naruto exclaimed.

Tsunade picked up a sheet of paper from her desk and held it out for someone to take. Sakura stepped forward and grabbed the paper, looking down at it as Naruto and Sasuke drew closer to her to see it for themselves. "It's a tracking mission. B-ranked. Shouldn't be too hard."

"Who're we tracking?" Naruto asked, pulling his eyes away from the paper.

"There's not much we have on the man besides that he goes by the nickname of Cat." Tsunade answered.

"Cat? That sounds lame." Naruto frowned. "I'd choose something that sounds cooler like 'Night Owl' or 'Ramenator.'"

"Yes, because those don't sound lame." Sasuke muttered sarcastically under his breath. Naruto didn't seem to have heard, but Sakura suppressed a small smile.

"I'm not the one who comes up with this stuff." Tsunade snapped a little irritably. "Look at the picture attached to the paper. According to victims, that is our man."

Sakura carefully pried off the paperclip holding the picture behind the paper, and held it up for the others to see. The picture depicted a man with short, dark hair, and striking blue eyes shone through a facemask. He wore a tuxedo and chatted with a woman. It was obvious to see they were in a party.

"So what's this guy been up to?" Naruto questioned.

"The woman in that picture you see him talking to was one of his victims. That's what he does. He smooth talks rich women in big parties, gets them to come with him into specifically secluded rooms, robs them, occasionally rapes, and gets away to another town before anyone has any time to catch him. He's been a real problem in the northern parts of the Land of Fire, and so they called on us to track him down."

"Wouldn't a mission like this be better suited for like…Kurenai-Sensei's team?" Naruto inquired. "They are the best team when it comes to tracking."

"Team Kurenai is currently on a mission to the Sand Village. They couldn't be called on, so your team was the next best available choice." Tsunade answered. "What? You don't want to go on this mission?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, no, it's not that. It's just the last time we went on a tracking mission we were chasing that stupid cat through the town."

"Yes, well, consider yourselves upgraded. It'd be ridiculous to send a Jonin, Chunin, and a couple Genin off to fetch a cat…at least the animal kind." Tsunade replied, turning her seat towards the window behind her as she finished speaking. "Now you all run off and get ready to go. You'll find the information about where Cat is expected to be on the paper."

"Right," everyone declared simultaneously, and then they all turned to leave the office.

'"'"'"'"

"We're going on a mission! A mission! A mission!" Naruto cheered as the four made their way down the streets of Konoha.

"Yes, you've been saying that since you first found out about it." Sasuke grumbled.

"Aren't you excited though? This is our first real mission all together! I mean…the Land of Waves stuff didn't really count because it was originally the three of us with Kakashi-Sensei trying to kill us, but now we're going on a real mission that isn't about trust and Kakashi-Sensei's on our side!"

"I always was on your side." Kakashi stated beside the blond. "It's just I had to pretend I wasn't."

"Yeah…so we can all just pretend that you didn't try to kill us and we didn't come back with serious injuries." Naruto responded sarcastically.

"Well, you're not dead, right?"

"No thanks to you." Naruto shivered. "And because of you I had to go through that back therapy. Holy crap that hurt."

"Well, you're better now from it." Sakura commented. "If I hadn't loosened up those muscles, you could have been permanently paralyzed. Good luck becoming Hokage with a useless back."

"Hmph," Naruto huffed, "Death or paralyzed…I guess I got off kinda lucky. But whatever. Let's forget about that stuff. I'll catch you guys later!" Naruto walked forward towards the stairs that led up to his apartment.

"We'll meet up at the gate in an hour." Sakura told him. "Don't be late."

"Oh, it's not me I'm worried about." Naruto replied, his eyes casting over towards Kakashi, who stood by idly reading his book.

"Right," Sakura breathed, her gaze also shifting towards Kakashi. "Well we'll see you then."

"See ya!" Naruto called as the remaining three continued on their way down the road.

As they walked, Sakura's gaze finally fell on Kakashi.

"You know…typically when we're getting ready for a mission you'll just poof off and go home to get ready. Someone like you really needs all the time they can get." Sakura stated.

"Trying to get rid of me, are you?" Kakashi inquired, his eye glancing from Sakura to Sasuke.

"No," Sakura retorted, understanding where his train of thought was going. She tried to avoid looking towards Sasuke, who walked on the other side of her. "It's just…you know…."

Kakashi chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'll go get ready."

"Don't be late." Sakura ordered.

"I'll even put new batteries in my clocks if it'll make you happy." Kakashi responded with a smile through his mask.

"Right…."

"Well then, I'll see you guys later." Kakashi waved a hand before he turned it into a hand sign and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Without looking towards Sasuke, Sakura turned on her heel and continued down the road. Sasuke followed after her silently. He had also understood where Kakashi's train of thought had been headed, and mentally he sighed. It seemed, he realized, that Kakashi and Naruto probably realized how he felt for Sakura before even he did.

"_Unless they're doing it from Sakura's side…but then again, I don't even know if she still likes me." _

Sasuke's eyes wandered over to Sakura, who walked just a couple steps ahead of him. He contemplated taking a couple longer strides in order to catch up with her, but thought better of it as he noticed how she walked. The way she held her shoulders, the way she stepped. He had already known enough about her to be able to tell she was stressed.

"_I guess maybe she got it too. Though if it's bothering her…does that mean she _does_ still like me?" _Sasuke questioned in his mind, continuing to watch her walk. _"Then again, I'd think anyone would be a little tense if someone accused them of being interested in someone close to them."_

Sasuke watched, slowly, as Sakura began to relax little by little until she was walking normally again. She had gotten over the incident.

"_I just don't know…sigh…the idea of romance is still a pretty foreign subject to me. It's not like I was told about it by anyone. How am I supposed to act? Is there something special I'm _supposed_ to be doing if I like someone? Do I grab her hand or something? Wait…no…only couples do that. We're not together yet…er…if we get together at all. I mean…I guess now I wouldn't mind. She used to ask me out when we were younger."_

Sasuke's eyes pulled away from Sakura for a moment and turned up to the sky.

"_If I knew then what I knew now…I really should have said yes. Though back then having a girlfriend probably would have caused me a bunch of trouble with stuff like Orochimaru and Itachi. So what am I supposed to do? Do I ask her out? Well…right now's not really a good time. Then again…when would be a good time? Right now we're about to head off on a mission, so probably not right now. Then when? Maybe after the mission. Though how would I ask her? Ah, crap. Oh, wait, we're at Sakura's place. Snap out of it Sasuke."_

The two came to a stop in front of Sakura's house. Sakura turned to look at Sasuke for a moment.

"I guess I'll see you in a bit then." Sakura stated as her hand reached up to take the doorknob.

Sasuke nodded his head, turning his feet to head off down the road. "I'll see you later."

"See ya." Sakura called as she disappeared into her house.

For a moment Sasuke stood in front of Sakura's house, just staring at the doorframe where Sakura had stood just a few seconds ago. Finally, he turned and started towards his house.

"_Yeah…maybe I'll do it after the mission. I mean…if we both like each other that's good. She'll say yes, we'll be together I guess. Sigh, why can't this be easier? What's so hard about asking someone out? It shouldn't be so complicated. I like her, she may like me, and then I take a chance. Right, easy. Though if she says no…oh crap, what if she does say no? Things would probably get really awkward between us…and then that would affect our teamwork, and how many times has Kakashi nagged us about the importance of teamwork? Maybe I shouldn't risk it…but…argh! Damn it!"_

Sasuke came to a halt in front of his house. He stared up at it for a moment, and then walked in.

"_I don't know. I'll give it till the end of the mission. I should be able to figure it out by then."_

'"'"'"'"

"Let's see…clothes…food…water…blanket…medical bag with supplies…personal items…scrolls…weapons…looks good." Sakura murmured to herself as she packed all of her supplies into her bag. With a light tug, she zipped and buckled her bag together, and then threw it over her shoulder.

Sakura glanced to the side at a clock on her wall. It had been forty-five minutes since she arrived home. Counting the few minutes it took after dropping Naruto off at his house, and the time it took to walk to the village gates, and how late Kakashi would probably be, she had about seven minutes until she'd have to leave.

"_Well, I could always get a head start."_ She thought. _"Knowing Sasuke…he's probably already there."_

The thought of Sasuke brought back the memory of earlier that day when Kakashi did some prodding at the two of them. Sakura let out a ragged breath.

"_The guys really need to stop doing this to me. They probably know I still like Sasuke…heck, even Sasuke may realize I still like him with how awkward I've been lately. Though it's not like I'm going to revert back to my old ways of asking him out. I'd probably just get rejected again…and then things would be even more awkward between us. After all…lately we've been getting pretty close." _

Sakura's eyes skittered over her room, and they landed on the shirt she had worn when she had been abducted by Karin and saved by Sasuke.

"_I mean…I noticed how he wouldn't stop looking at me after he saved me from getting killed by Karin. I kind of doubt that means he likes me though…he was probably just being a little protective because I was nearly killed." _

Her eyes left the shirt and traveled over a nearby desktop to land on the old picture of Team Seven. She let out a sigh.

"_Yeah…and besides, relationships or attempts at one that go wrong can totally screw up a friendly relationship; I don't want to risk that. It was probably my antics when I was twelve that kept us from getting very close when we were younger. Now that I've been acting more mature though, our relationship has improved greatly. I can't risk screwing it up."_

With that thought, Sakura turned her attention to her clock. She had to leave now. She swiveled on her heel and headed for the door. Prying it open, she walked through it, down the stairs, and towards the front door where her boots laid waiting for her.

She stopped in front of her boots and leaned down to grab them and put them on. A small smile etched its way onto her face.

"_For now…we'll keep going on as friends. If fate is ever kind enough to make me the one Sasuke chooses, and we do end up together…then I'll let fate take me through this." _

**The end! (Of the chapter.) Man, I am on a roll! Chapters are being stock-piled again! Right now you people are still waiting to see what's up with the inevitable cat fight between Sakura and Karin. (And actually, I planned to update today or tomorrow, so you people will see a bit more of that stuff which I've already finished writing.) Anyways…so decently long chapter in comparison to the last one. And this arc is guaranteed to have full chapters filled to the brim with fun and action! (And, finally, SasuSaku!) My English teacher would be proud…I've introduced dramatic irony into this story! (Where the audience knows something the character does not.) Then again my English teacher probably doesn't even know what Naruto is…poor, deprived soul. Haha. Anyway. Till the next chapter people! **


	25. Total Set Up

**Chapter Twenty-five- Total Set-Up**

"So why do you think he calls himself Cat?" Naruto asked.

"Probably because he thinks that he's stealthy like a cat with how he gets away from people." Sakura answered.

"That's so lame…I still say I'd go with a cool name like Ramenator."

"There's the real lame name for you." Sasuke muttered.

"No one asked you!" Naruto snapped. "I bet yours would be lame too!"

"Who said that I'd make one?"

"Me." A thoughtful look crossed Naruto's face. "You'd probably call yourself something like Dark or the Avenger or something emo like that."

"And why do you assume that I'm emo?" Sasuke inquired irritably.

"Why would I assume not? You're all…dark looking." Naruto responded.

"Only my hair, eyes, and pants are black, and I happen to be wearing a white shirt."

"A three to one ratio! You are emo!"

"And you're an idiot."

"Oh, don't worry, Teme. Some girls really like the emo look. Right Sakura?"

A slight blush crept up on Sakura's cheeks; she tried to make it pass off as a red of annoyance with her furrowed brow. "Maybe some, but Sasuke's right. You're an idiot."

"But some still do! And I bet emo people like the Teme are just searching for a bright spot to call their own. Eh, Teme?" Naruto's eyes flicked between Sasuke and Sakura.

Sasuke forced his eyes not to look towards Sakura. "I'm pretty sure that contradicts an emo, Dobe."

"Some are unique."

"Just like you."

"I'm not emo."

"That's not exactly where I was headed."

"Shut up."

"Hn, Dobe."

"Teme."

"Will you two stop?" Sakura interjected. "I swear, if you two aren't fighting others, you're fighting each other."

"It's a guy thing." Naruto responded. "Just like a girl thing is wearing skirts."

"I don't see the correlation there." Sakura responded.

"It's just stuff we do. Guys fight, girls wear skirts. You have a choice in the matter, but you do it anyway." Naruto explained.

"That has to be the smartest thing you've ever said." Sasuke stated.

Naruto shot a glare at Sasuke. "Teme."

"Dobe."

"You two are ridiculous." Sakura huffed exasperatedly. "And girls can fight with each other too, it's just we're more mature and choose not to."

"And this is why guys need girls. They make us complete." Naruto made a motion with his fingers of drawing a big heart. "Eh, Temeee?"

Involuntarily, Sasuke's eyes glanced towards Sakura, and he tried to quickly look away before anyone made the connection as to why his face was getting a little brighter.

Naruto, however, caught on to what had occurred, and a big grin made its way onto his face. "Of course…sometimes it takes a while for guys to realize this. Once they do though…that's when love is made."

"Where are you going with this?" Sakura growled, her eyes also involuntarily flicking towards Sasuke.

This only caused Naruto's grin to grow wider, but he quickly looked away and walked forward towards the front of the group. He lifted his hands and twined them behind his head. "Oh nowhere."

Sakura stared down intently at the ground, trying her best not to look towards Sasuke. Sasuke was in a similar condition.

Kakashi looked up from his book and glanced around, having paid no real attention to the bickering between his pupils. All around them the trees were getting thicker. Kakashi glanced forward towards the three ninja that walked ahead of him.

"Hey, everyone," Kakashi called, causing everyone to turn their heads to look back at their Sensei. "I'd be on alert until we reach the pastures at the end of the forest. We've entered bandit area."

"Bandit area?" Sakura echoed.

Kakashi nodded his head, slipping his book into a back pouch. "I've had some nasty squabbles through here before. Bandits are mostly made up of bands of rouge ninja, so they can pose a threat if we're not careful. Of course…lately there's been a dry spell of attacks on the area. Probably because they've been unlucky enough to attack Jonin. Their numbers are dwindling; though I'd still be careful of the occasional traps."

"Traps? Like what?" Naruto asked.

"The usual. Trip wires, pits, standard things that anyone would use if trying to capture people and rob them for all they've got."

"Eerie." Naruto commented, turning back to gaze at the road ahead of them.

The group continued on for a few minutes more. Kakashi's words echoed in their minds, but for Sakura, Naruto's rang louder.

"_He knows…he definitely knows…and he's not helping by prodding." _Sakura thought. _"I can't believe him. The way he tries to force people together. I mean…_I _like Sasuke…but Sasuke…I don't know how he feels about me past our friendship. Naruto's obviously assuming something or he wouldn't have pressed in on us so hard. He never did this in the past…then again…in the past he had a crush on me. Now it's obviously gone if he's so adamant about shoving me and Sasuke together, but…."_

As Sakura contemplated things in her mind, Sasuke paid mindful attention to the ground. Something, he thought, felt off. It was the way the ground looked, how it crunched under his shoes as he stepped on it. The signs were faint, probably weathered down by rain or wind, but it was still there. His eyes skimmed forward farther up the road, and then he caught on to what he was sensing.

Sasuke's head whipped towards Sakura, who walked a little ways off to the left of him. His eyes flicked back towards the ground, and then quickly back up to the kunoichi. He opened his mouth to give a warning, but suddenly they were there, and it was too late.

The ground gave way under Sakura's feet, and with hardly enough time to gasp in surprise, a wide gap opened up, and she was falling down.

Suddenly, though, she wasn't falling, and she felt a strong force yanking her to a halt with her legs dangling freely below her into the pit.

Sakura craned her neck upwards to find that Sasuke had grabbed hold of her backpack, and held onto her tightly to keep her from falling farther into the hole.

"Sasuke," Sakura muttered.

Naruto's head poked out from the edge of the pit. "Well, there are those bandit traps Kakashi-Sensei was talking about."

"We've noticed." Sasuke grumbled. He held out his hand towards Sakura below him. "Grab on."

Sakura reached up and grasped Sasuke's hand with her right hand, and then turned around to face the dirt wall of the pit as her left hand came up and grasped his forearm. "Got it."

With a heave, Sasuke pulled Sakura up and out of the hole. However, as Sakura was just about out, the ground gave way a bit, and with the extra weight of Sakura, Sasuke stumbled backwards, and the two fell to the ground.

The two hit the ground hard, and the weight of Sakura nearly knocked the wind out of Sasuke. They both laid there for a moment, partially dazed by the incident.

Sakura blinked, taking in the situation. First off, she fell in a hole, real downgrade on her reputation as a ninja. Second, she was saved by Sasuke, which was good. Third, she was now laying on Sasuke, and she was quickly becoming aware of their proximities. She became aware of the feel of his shirt, the tough yet somehow comforting solidness of his chest under her, the radiating heat that felt somewhat surprising to her considering his usual coldness, and outside of that, she heard a voice; Naruto's to be exact.

"So are you two just going to keep lying there or what?" Naruto questioned, a sly grin on his face.

Sakura blinked again, and then she quickly pushed herself up and off of Sasuke into a sitting position beside him. Sasuke sat up, putting a hand against his chest as he took a breath. That's when Sakura noticed the slight redness to his cheeks.

"_What's with that?" _Sakura wondered. _"It can't be because of the fall. So is he…blushing? Sasuke…blushing? That doesn't make sense. The only reason he'd be blushing is if…"_

Sakura's thoughts trailed off as she thought of what it could mean. A moment later she pushed herself off of the ground and brushed the dirt off of her. Sasuke did the same.

"Um…thanks, Sasuke." Sakura announced, giving him a grateful smile. 

"Hn," Sasuke responded, looking away when Sakura smiled at him and beginning to move forward. "Don't mention it."

Sakura blinked, watching Sasuke continue down the road. Everyone quickly fell into step behind him a moment later.

Sakura eyed the Uchiha skeptically, replaying in her mind what had just occurred.

"_Perhaps," _she thought, _"fate may actually be playing for my side. But…I can't be sure. Not yet."_

'"'"'"'"

After several more hours of traveling, the four exited the bandit area, and covered a few miles of open pasture before night finally fell. They came to a stop at the edge of a small thicket of trees and began to set up for the night.

"Hey, Sakura," Kakashi called, "can you go collect some wood to use for a fire?"

Sakura nodded her head. "Sure. I'll be right back." Sakura disappeared into the small thicket of trees.

The three boys continued to set up in silence, none of them really having anything to say. After about ten minutes had passed, Sasuke looked into the trees, wondering where Sakura was.

He drew closer to the trees, contemplating going in and looking for her. He took a couple more steps towards the trees, and then looked back towards Naruto and Kakashi.

"I'm going to see what's taking Sakura so long." Sasuke announced, moving another step closer to the thicket.

"Alright," Naruto responded, not turning from his work of setting up the tents.

Sasuke's brow rose, he had expected some sort of snide remark from the blond. He began to enter the trees when he heard Naruto's voice.

"I wonder if they're doing this on purpose. A guy…a girl…a place we can't see in to. Sneaky, sneaky."

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he heard Kakashi chuckle. He should have known better.

Sasuke scanned the area, searching for a flash of pink hair. He walked a little farther forward, and then he heard footsteps approaching.

He froze, listening as the footsteps drew closer and closer. A couple moments later, Sakura emerged from the wood, a pile of sticks in her arms.

Sakura blinked through the growing darkness, noticing Sasuke just a while off from her.

"Sasuke?" Sakura called. "What're you doing here?"

Sasuke took a few steps towards the kunoichi. "You were taking a while, so I came to see if anything was wrong."

"No, nothing's wrong." Sakura adjusted the pile of sticks in her arms. "I was just collecting. I think I got more than enough, but you never know." Sakura took a couple steps forward, further closing the gap between her and Sasuke.

Sasuke reached a hand out. "Here, let me carry those."

Sakura shook her head. "It's fine. I got them."

"I can do it."

"So can I."

"I'm just helping."

Sakura walked forward and began to pass Sasuke. "You saved me from falling into a hole. You've helped enough today."

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, but bit it back. He wanted to be nice, to help her out, but it didn't seem she wanted it.

"_It's just that tough girl side of her…thinking she can do things on her own." _Sasuke thought as he trailed behind the kunoichi.

Ahead of him, Sakura resisted the urge to look behind her at the Uchiha. His behavior really caught her by surprise.

"_First he blushes when I'm near him, and now he's offering to do something for me that I can obviously handle by myself. What's gotten into him?"_

The thought she had earlier crossed her mind, and she averted her gaze down to the sticks in her arms as a light blush crept onto her cheeks.

"_The more this mission goes on…the more I'm thinking I may just be right. So…I wonder how everything will be by the end of the mission…."_

'"'"'"'"

"So…who're you sleeping with Sakura?" Naruto questioned aloud at dinner.

"W-what?" Sakura stammered, her cheeks growing to a slightly pink color.

"He means for tonight." Kakashi reiterated. "The tents are set up for two each. Three guys in one smaller tent wouldn't really be right, and it's getting too cold now for us to sleep outside. It won't be so bad."

"Oh…well why didn't you say it like that?" Sakura inquired, casting a half glare at Naruto. "You made it sound like I _was_ sleeping with someone."

"Well, tonight you technically will be, only you'll be separated by sleeping bags…unless you guys share." Naruto's gaze flickered between Sakura and Sasuke.

Sakura's cheeks flared. "So I'm assuming from how you're speaking that you'll be in the tent with the extra guy?"

"Well, we were kind of expecting you and Sasuke to share a tent." Kakashi stated.

Sakura cast a small glance in Sasuke's direction. Sasuke seemed to be immersed in his meal, but they all knew he was just trying to stay out of the conversation.

"Why Sasuke?" Sakura questioned.

"Why not?" Naruto responded. "You're just sleeping. And after all, if my past suspicions are right and he's gay…."

Sasuke gagged on his meal and his head whipped up to glare at the blond across the fire from him. "What…did you say?" Sasuke growled between coughs.

"Come on…no one can deny that there came at least one point in their lives where they questioned whether or not you're gay." Naruto replied, an accusing grin on his face.

"I'm not!" Sasuke retorted. "If I was then—" Sasuke caught himself, and a moment later looked down at his food.

"If you were then what?" Naruto prodded.

"_If I was, which I'm not," _Sasuke thought, _"then I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like Sakura." _

Sasuke bit his tongue for a moment as he thought of a response. "If I was gay, which I'm not, I still would have turned straight a long time ago. No guy can stay gay when they're in your presence for so long. It makes them feel straight."

Naruto's jaw dropped and both Sakura and Kakashi had to suppress the laughter that bubbled in their throats.

Sasuke returned his attention to his food. "I'll take the tent with Sakura, since you're so insistent on it. Though you should know it makes you look like the one who's gay seeing as you're preferring to sleep with your male teacher than your female teammate."

Naruto gawked at Sasuke for another moment, thoroughly defeated for once, and then shrank back to his food.

"_Stupid Teme…you're gonna thank me for this one day. After all, it'll be partly because of me that you two are gonna end up together." _

'"'"'"'"

"I think you were pretty thoroughly beaten with that one." Kakashi chuckled as he and Naruto slipped into their tent for the night.

"Tch, I let him have that one." Naruto responded as he flopped onto his sleeping bag.

"Seemed you were caught off guard to me. It was a very good reply."

"And what're you gonna do about it? I took it because we're trying to get them together."

"We? I have taken no part in this. I only occasionally tease them because it's fun, and it's obvious that they're both into each other."

"Exactly! Which is why I'm taking the initiative to get them together."

"Though aren't you sort of rushing things? In building a relationship I'd think kissing would come before sleeping together."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "They're not really sleeping together you know. That was just to mess with them. They'll still be separated by sleeping bags."

"Maybe not for long." Even through his mask Naruto could tell Kakashi was smiling.

"I think you've been reading too many of Pervy Sage's books. There'll be no real progress tonight."

Kakashi sighed. "Probably not."

Naruto rolled over so he was lying on his back. He stared up at the roof of the tent. "So, Kakashi-Sensei…are you in with me to get those two together?"

Kakashi hummed for a moment as he stared up at the top of the tent as well. "Ah, what the heck. I bet it'll help their teamwork."

"Tch, teamwork, yeah." Naruto then rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes. Within minutes, he fell asleep.

'"'"'"'"

"W-w-woah! I-it's really cold!" Naruto declared as he wrapped his jacket tighter around him. "I-I never knew the Land of Fire…was this c-cold up north."

"It gets colder up north faster than it does down where we live." Kakashi explained.

"I-I can see that." Naruto responded, clamping his teeth together to keep them from chattering as a chilly wind blew around them.

"It shouldn't get much colder." Sakura announced, looking down at a map. "We're almost there, and unless there's a serious cold snap, this should be the worst it gets."

"I already miss Konoha…." Naruto grumbled as they all continued on their way.

Sakura rubbed her hands together after she put away the map. She also hadn't expected it to get so cold, and only packed her fighting gloves as protection for her hands.

Sasuke beside her watched her rub her hands together and then put them down. Inside, he felt an urge to reach out and take one of her hands to help her out, but he held it back and rubbed his own hands against his pants. The cold didn't bother him very much, and he had only put on a jacket to fend off against the weather.

After about another hour of walking, they finally came upon a village. Sakura confirmed for them that it was the village where Cat is suspected to be in, and took a lead as she led them towards their clients' house.

Upon arriving at their clients' house, they were greeted with food and rooms. The house was very decently sized, large enough for each of them to have their own rooms. Kakashi set off quickly, claiming to be going out to have a look around the town and to see if he could pick up on anything that could lead them to Cat.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all sat gathered in Kakashi's room, awaiting their Sensei.

"So do you really think this guy is here?" Naruto asked.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure; probably. He does seem to have a liking for the northern parts of the Land of Fire. It's probably the best area to do stuff without the real worry of ninjas coming soon."

"I guess." Naruto huffed, lying down on the bed.

As he laid down, the door opened and a familiar silver-haired man slipped inside.

Naruto quickly sat back up. "Kakashi-Sensei, what's up?"

Kakashi held up a piece of paper. "This."

Sasuke moved forward and took the paper. He looked down at it himself for a moment, and then passed it to Sakura who shared it with Naruto for the both of them to look at.

"A party?" Naruto declared, looking up from the paper to Kakashi.

Kakashi nodded his head. "They did say Cat liked to strike at big parties to grab hold of a few rich women, well this is where they're all going tomorrow night."

"Makes sense." Sakura commented. "So what are we going to do? We're not invited. Do we just sneak in?"

Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "We're not invited…yet. We are ninja, Sakura. And unless you packed one, you're going to need a dress, and we're going to need some tuxedos."

The three ninja stared at their Sensei, who clapped his hands together.

"Well, chop-chop. We dogs have got a cat to chase."

**Half cliffhanger. Not as bad as a full one, eh? Not really dramatic, but you do want to know what happens next. Don't worry because next is coming soon! And our story is getting closer and closer to the end! If anyone has bothered to check out my profile in the past well…by the time I post this it'll be about in the past month, then you'll see that if my estimates are correct, this story will be 31 chapters long! No more because that's some serious stretching I'd have to do unless I got yet another idea, and hopefully no less so people are still pretty content. (I mean, 31 chapters…that's over 3 times the length of my second longest story.) So be happy people! Till then readers! (And as a later note, 31 has been extended to 32 thanks to an idea that came to me!) **


	26. What You Mean to Me

**Chapter Twenty-six- What You Mean to Me**

"I don't think I need any help." Sakura declared.

"You sure? Don't need anyone to be there to help you out? Give an opinion? Carry the bags?" Naruto prodded.

Sakura shook her head. "No, and I don't see why you think I need someone to go with me anyway. I'm just finding a dress."

"But what if something happens?"

"Like what?" Sakura inquired. "What do you think can befall me in a town where there are no ninja, and any pervert who tried to pick me up I can send into next week?"

Naruto made no response.

"Exactly. I can take care of myself." Sakura concluded, turning on her heel to leave the client's house.

"I mean, I'm just saying!" Naruto piped up, appearing by Sakura's side. "You should take the Teme with you!"

Sakura's cheeks flushed, but it wasn't enough for anyone to tell she was blushing. She continued towards the door. "I don't need anyone accompanying me, and besides, don't you guys have to pick out your tuxedos?"

"Kakashi-Sensei's on it. He took our measurements." Naruto responded, holding out his arms like they were being measured for emphasis.

"Right…." Sakura drawled, and kept walking. "I still don't need anyone to come with me. I'll see you guys in a bit."

"But—" Naruto called.

But Sakura was already out the door. Naruto sighed, plopping down into a chair as Sasuke entered the room.

"Did Sakura just leave?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto looked up when Sasuke came in and nodded his head. "Yeah, she said she wanted to do her shopping alone."

Sasuke sat in another available chair. "Well it makes sense. I don't think she'd want to drag a guy along to go dress shopping."

"Tch, if you were a normal guy, you'd just be happy to see a girl in a dress." Naruto waved a hand at Sasuke dismissively, and then gazed at the Uchiha from the corner of his eye. "Even though you're not much of a normal guy, don't tell me you wouldn't like taking a peek at Sakura's choices. From the ball-gowns that can show off some cleavage to the short party dresses."

Sasuke stared incredulously at the blond. "What the hell?"

"Don't tell me you didn't just get mental images! You are a man! You must think these things at some point in your life!"

Sasuke continued to stare at his teammate, suppressing the fact that images did come into his mind, particularly at the mention of "short party dresses." He turned his head away to gaze at a wall. "You're an idiot."

"So you did get mental images of Sakura!"

Sasuke grit his teeth. "Who said I did?"

"Well why else would you be blushing? Most other girls dress like that on a regular basis, so it's nothing new. That and considering you have the hots for Sakura."

Sasuke's eyes widened and his head involuntarily whipped towards the blond. He could now feel the heated blood rushing over his face. "I _what_?"

Naruto laughed out loud. "You do!"

"You don't know what you're talking about." Sasuke snapped.

"Oh, I think I do. The way you look at her, your over-protectiveness of her, the way you get when she's close to you. I'm surprised Sakura doesn't know already…unless she does, and she's waiting for you to make the move."

The temperature in Sasuke's face spiked even higher. He glared full force at a wall, trying to keep from making eye contact with Naruto. "You're an idiot, and you don't know anything."

"Like I haven't heard that before. You know it all really starts to just bounce off after a while. Your insults mean nothing, especially because I'm so obviously winning."

"You're so obviously not, Dobe."

"You're so obviously in denial, Teme, at least towards me. Inside I know you've accepted it."

Sasuke's teeth clenched as he tried to suppress his blush and think of a response.

A moment later, though, the door opened and Kakashi walked in with three bags over his shoulder.

"Honey, I'm home!" Kakashi called merrily, but stopped in his tracks when he saw the scene before him. The grin on Naruto's face, the blush on Sasuke's cheeks.

Kakashi looked from one boy to the other, already making the connection about what was going on.

"Naruto," Kakashi huffed, setting down the three bags, "how many times do I have to tell you? Take the degrading fights outside. People love to watch them, and you won't have to worry about cleaning up the blood after it's done. Now run along and try on your new suit before we have to explain to the client and Lady Tsunade why we only came back with three ninja."

'"'"'"'"

Sakura rubbed her hands up and down her exposed arms and looked away with a blush on her face. "Why…do you guys keep looking at me?"

Naruto blinked and pulled back, as if from a trance. "Huh? Oh! Sorry Sakura! It's just…we don't get to see you in a pretty dress that often. I mean, yeah you wear those short-shorts which really show off a lot of…uh, I'll shut up now." Naruto cleared his throat. "Put your tongue back in your mouth, Teme, before it dries out."

Sasuke ripped his gaze away from Sakura to glare at the blond. "Shut up. You're just trying to cover for yourself."

Sakura sighed with a bashful smile on her lips, put her arms down, and looked sideways at herself in a mirror. Her dress, which was more like a kimono, was faded pink, sleeveless, with a high neck collar and a simple yet elegant flower and swirl design weaving up the skirt of the dress which fell nearly to her ankles and slit up the side past her knee on the left. On her feet she wore flats, the obvious choice over heels considering she'd probably have to do a lot of moving around tonight in pursuit of their quarry. She found it attractive, but at the same time functional, which is why it caught her attention during her shopping that day.

Sakura pulled her gaze away from the mirror to look at the two boys who currently bickered with each other. They both wore tuxedos. Sasuke's was the typical kind, and it fit perfectly to his size. She averted her eyes as a blush reached her cheeks. There was no denying how handsome he looked in it. Naruto wore something similar, but there was something a little off about it that Sakura thought she recognized, but at the same time she brushed it off as thinking Naruto may have just put the suit on incorrectly.

Kakashi entered a moment later as Naruto and Sasuke were still in the midst of a back-and-forth argument. Kakashi's eyelid drooped tiredly as he laid eyes on the two, and with a huff he clapped his hands to get their attention.

Naruto and Sasuke glanced up from their argument and stood up straight as they saw Kakashi looming over them. Sakura took a couple steps to stand by Sasuke's side, lining up with the two boys in front of their Sensei.

"Alright, now that everyone's ready." Kakashi began. He was also dressed in a tuxedo, and Sakura couldn't help but notice that like Naruto's, there appeared to be something off about it that made them different from Sasuke's. She just couldn't put her finger on the reason why. "Time to do a run-through of the plan."

"There's a plan?" Naruto inquired, half sarcastic.

"Yes, there's always a plan, whether you're aware of it or not." Kakashi responded, and then met eyes with the three of them before he continued. "We'll be broken up into groups of two. You can go off on your own at points, but be sure to stay near your partner in case you do manage to catch sight of Cat."

The three nodded, and Kakashi smiled behind his mask.

"Naruto," he pointed at the blond, who perked up slightly at the calling of his name, "you're my partner."

"Saw that one coming." Naruto replied. "Is that why our suits match?"

"Well…yes…." Kakashi answered. "Because we'll be entering as caterers."

Silence fell for a moment. Naruto blinked. "So…we're wearing monkey suits…?"

"If you want to look at it that way, then yes." Kakashi quickly averted his gaze towards Sasuke and Sakura. "Which makes you two a pair. You'll be going in as a couple invited to the party. You're signed up under Haruno."

Sakura gawked at her Sensei. "Why are we using _my_ last name?"

"Because," Kakashi explained, "I'm sure the name Uchiha, now associated as the last surviving criminals' name, would cause a ruckus."

Sakura stared incredulously at Kakashi. "You couldn't have made one up?"

"Nope." Kakashi answered blatantly. "Now listen. We should all get in without a problem. From there we'll do what we must as we sweep the area for Cat. Here," he handed the three of them radio devices, "we'll all wear these. They're tuned in to the same private channel, and have enough distance to get us through the whole mansion. As soon as you see Cat, notify the others and give directions towards him. Try to be stealthy though, drag him into a hallway. We don't need a huge scene in the middle of the ballroom. Things would get chaotic and we could lose him that way. Oh, and try not to kill him. Is that understood?"

"Yes." The three answered simultaneously.

"Good." Kakashi smiled. "Then let's head out."

'"'"'"'"

The four reached the mansion the party was being held at half an hour later. It was huge, with three stories and probably near 200 rooms. They had already been briefed with a schematic of the mansion, and so already had a general idea of the layout, but the sheer size still amazed the four.

"And we have to find Cat in there?" Naruto whistled as they stood in the cover of a cropping of trees.

Kakashi nodded. "He'll be there. Don't worry though, most of the party is in the ballroom. You have to have one reserved if you want to get into and use a room."

"Right," Sakura drawled as Kakashi and Naruto began to skirt along the side of the trees towards the back of the mansion.

"Now," Kakashi ordered, "we'll go sneak in through the back and slip in. You two wait here for a bit. The party doesn't start for another twenty minutes. Once it begins, go up and get in. We'll meet you guys there."

"Alright, see you guys there." Sakura responded with a nod. Kakashi and Naruto then slipped off towards the mansion.

Sakura turned away from the mansion and leaned her back against a tree. She sighed. Now they had to stand there and wait for twenty minutes until the party started.

Sasuke sighed as well and shifted to lean against a tree of his own. Sakura's eyes traveled over towards him, and slowly began to rake over Sasuke's form. Black wasn't an unusual thing to see Sasuke wear, but the sheer fact that it was a black tuxedo and the fact that he looked absolutely stunning in it was enough to make Sakura want to blush just being in his presence.

Sasuke in turn couldn't help looking at Sakura from the corner of his eye. He knew she was looking at him, and didn't want to risk making eye contact for fear that he could break out in a solid blush. Naruto's earlier accusation of him drooling over the kunoichi hadn't been far off from reality. She truly looked amazing, like a moving picture created by a master painter.

Little did Sasuke know, however, that Sakura did notice his gaze, and she had to use her hair and deep breathing to hide that she was blushing like mad.

"_He keeps looking at me…he keeps looking at me and he looks like _that_!" _Sakura roared in her mind. _"Damn Kakashi-Sensei…leaving us in a position like this. I can't believe him! Actually…I can! He probably knows I still like Sasuke, and now he's working with Naruto too…but…if they're pressing this hard…does that mean that maybe it's the same on Sasuke's side, and that's why they're trying so hard?"_

Sakura looked up, and this time she did manage to make eye contact with Sasuke. They held each other's gaze for what felt like a long time. Sakura noted, surprised, that it appeared Sasuke's cheeks were tinged pink as well, and the way he looked at her…the softness in his eyes she never really noticed before. It became enough that she broke the eye contact and averted her eyes to the ground, her own cheeks flaring.

"_He looks so…soft. Like that cold part of him is gone. Like it never existed. And with the tux…he looks like such a gentleman."_

Sasuke cleared his throat. "I…think it's almost time to head towards the mansion. People are starting to crowd outside."

Sakura blinked, turning around to gaze at the mansion. People were gathering at the front of the building, and it would appear the guards out front were getting ready to let them in.

"You're right." Sakura commented without looking back towards the Uchiha. "Should we…head over there?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "I don't see why not."

Silence fell for a moment as neither one of them moved. Taking the initiative, Sasuke took a couple steps and crossed the distance between him and Sakura. Sakura tore her eyes away from the mansion and looked up at him.

A little bashfully, Sasuke offered her his arm. Sakura stared at it for a moment, and then reached up to hook her hand onto his arm. Both of them fought down the blush on their cheeks.

"Well then," Sasuke declared, moving forward, "let's go."

'"'"'"'"

The two were admitted into the party with ease, and upon entering were slightly blown away by the sheer extravagance of the ballroom.

They both moved along the edges of the forming crowd of invites, trying to act casual while at the same time scanning the area to see if Cat had already snuck his way in.

Sakura, however, was partially distracted by Sasuke. It was hard for her to focus when thoughts of their proximities and possibilities for feelings radiated through her mind incessantly. Her heart hammered in her chest as the two came to a stop near a corner of the ballroom.

Then, Sakura looked up at Sasuke's face and realized something. He was just as distracted as she was. The seriousness of his expression gave away to her from years of experience that he was struggling to keep his cool over a situation, and even through his concentration, a hint of pink still colored his cheeks.

"_He's…blushing?" _Sakura thought, bewildered. _"We're on a mission where we're searching for someone in a party, where he's never really liked parties because of his occasional anti-social attitude, and where the only reason he'd be blushing is because…"_

Sakura's thoughts cut off before she finished her thought. In her mind, the action magnified for her the events from lately. His expressions, his attitude, his actions. Everything.

It appeared, she thought, fate just may have decided that it liked her. Inside she felt a rush of energy, almost comparable to adrenaline, and she knew what she wanted to do. 

"Hey Sasuke," Sakura called, "let's dance."

Sasuke raised a skeptical brow, glancing down at the kunoichi without much of a hint of his blush. "We're supposed to be looking for Cat."

"So," Sakura replied, grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards the crowd of dancers, "let's see if we can spot him in the crowds. It'll look more natural."

Unable to argue with Sakura's logic, Sasuke relented to being pulled into the circle of dancers.

Finding an open space, Sakura came to a halt and turned on her heel to face Sasuke.

"Please tell me you know how to dance." Sakura stated as she placed her hands on Sasuke's shoulders. "I never really learned how to."

"It can't be too hard." Sasuke responded, activating his Sharingan for a moment and gazing at another dancing couple. "Just have to copy their dancing and it should be fine."

"Clever," Sakura commented as Sasuke placed his hands on her waist and began to move to the rhythm of the music.

The two danced like that for a while, occasionally scanning around the room for any signs of Cat. Once Sasuke really got the hang of the movements, he deactivated his Sharingan and started on his own. He looked down at Sakura, who seemed entirely dazed by the dancing and the music. He contemplated snapping her out of it, seeing as they had a mission to do, but he held it back, enjoying the simple feelings he got from being with her.

In Sakura's mind, though, she had hardly a thought for the dancing and music. Sasuke's lead was good enough that she could follow him. Her mind, instead, was trained mostly on Sasuke himself.

It had taken her till that moment and her rush of energy to come to a conclusion that she could act upon, and while she still felt slightly apprehensive, the facts that she relayed to herself strengthened her findings. She thought of his sudden bashfulness, the blushing, the looks, what happens when they're in tight proximities and his attitude lately. It was true, she thought, Sasuke liked her. She was unsure if it could be compared to the love she felt for him, but she knew it was enough to say he at least has a romantic interest in her.

Sakura shifted her gaze up towards the Uchiha she danced with. She loved him, entirely and unconditionally, she knew she was in love with him, and that they now actually had a chance to become something.

Without thinking it all the way through, Sakura spoke. "Sasuke."

Sasuke turned his attention down at her when she called. "What?"

Sakura's eyes softened as she stared at him, and in turn, she noticed, his eyes softened as well.

"Sasuke," Sakura repeated, "I have a question for you."

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, unsure of what she'd say.

"What do I mean to you?"

Sasuke's brow rose. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…when you look at me, who do you see? A colleague? A teammate? A friend? What position do I hold in your life?"

Sasuke's heart started to hammer. He thought he knew where this was going, but he had to test and see. "Well what do I mean to you?"

Sakura seemed to draw back for a moment as she thought of a response. Finally, she looked back up at him. "That's why I'm asking you."

Sasuke felt his heart drop. "You mean you don't know?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, I do know. It's just…well…I don't know exactly how to describe it, but lately I've been getting these…signals from you. I just want to know if…"

Now Sasuke's heart felt like it had leapt into his throat, choking back his response. He knew it now. She liked him and he liked her. He just had to say it, but the lump in his throat didn't seem to want to go away.

"I…" he choked out. He could feel a blush creeping up his neck.

Sakura could see his struggle; feel the heat of the blush radiating from him. Sakura's heart beat so hard and fast she felt like it was making her bounce. Now, she felt, she was near certain.

Slowly, Sakura's arms moved, and twined around his neck, pulling her up closer to his level. The two were just about at eye level as they gazed at each other.

Without much more of a warning, Sakura's eyes began to slide shut and she brought their faces closer and closer together. Less than half an inch away though, she stopped. For a moment it looked like a dramatic pause, but in reality she was waiting. She was waiting to give space to that off chance she was wrong and she was about to be pushed away any second.

Sasuke slightly surprised her though, when she suddenly felt his lips brush hers for a moment, like he was testing as well, and then he moved forward completely and they were kissing. Sasuke's hold on Sakura's waist tightened, as did Sakura's grip around his neck.

Sakura felt as though she were floating, which she just may have been with how much taller than her Sasuke was. She pressed herself even closer to him, reveling in the sweet, gentle feelings they both poured into the kiss which slowly grew deeper and deeper. Sasuke's own feelings were like fireworks inside him having been held down for what seemed like an unbearably long time. Now they released with full power as his feelings for Sakura surged through him.

One of Sakura's hands came around and started to weave its way through Sasuke's hair. Sasuke in turn ran a hand up and down Sakura's back as they continued to kiss. He could just start to feel his lungs tingling, aching for air, but he persisted, not wanting the moment to end.

"_Sasuke. Sakura. Come in guys. It's Naruto._"

The two pulled away from each other, surprised by the sudden noise. They both gazed at each other somewhere between a dazed happiness and surprise as Naruto continued to call Sasuke and Sakura's names on the radios attached to their necks.

Sakura quickly placed her head on Sasuke's chest, bringing one hand down to her neck to flip a switch to reply to Naruto's calls. "What is it?"

"_There you are,_" Naruto huffed. "_I've spotted Cat, and it looks like he's smooth talking some lady. They're…oh crap, they're leaving down a hall. The east one. Hurry and—what, sir? …No, I don't know what's in this dip. I didn't make it…I'm pretty sure that's just a cracker, nothing fancy…what? No…hey!_"

Sakura shut off the radio and looked up at Sasuke. "Well, you heard him. Looks like we've got to go chase Cat down now. Let's go."

Sasuke stared down at the kunoichi for a moment. "Um…what about…?"

Sakura's eyes softened for a moment, and she placed a hand on Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke's eyes also softened as they closed halfway and he leaned into her touch.

"We have all the time in the world to straighten everything out." Sakura replied. "For now…we've got a cat to catch."

**Ta-daaaaah! Man! You people have no clue how long that one scene was in my head! It must have been nearly eight (wow) months ago now that I first thought of that scene! It's gone through so many changes! The thoughts, the leads up to it, the scenarios. So many until I got to this and it just screamed perfection at me. Whew! And wow, this chapter is really long! But I think that's understandable seeing as we just got like…the climax of the climax right there! SasuSaku! Anyway, finally ending this extra-specially long chapter. Till the next chapter people! **

**And this here is the link to the picture I drew of Sasuke and Sakura so you can see the dress and whatnot! http : / lady-okami-chan . deviantart . com / # / d2r5rin  
Just remove all the spaces I put in there! Hope you guys like it! **


	27. Running Like Mad

**Chapter Twenty-seven- Running Like Mad**

"Come on, here's the east hall." Sakura declared as she guided Sasuke towards the mentioned hallway.

Sasuke trailed after the kunoichi silently, still in a slight daze about what had occurred between them just two minutes ago. He tried mentally to gather himself together and focus. They had a mission to do and it would hurt their chances if he was slipping. Though, he noted, it was hard to fully capture that focus with Sakura holding his hand as she led him through the hall.

Mentally, Sasuke began to kick himself. _"God, what is she doing to me? She never affected me _this_ much before!" _

The two went silently down the hallway, listening for the sounds of Cat or the woman who he took with him. Sakura frowned, not hearing anything. She stopped abruptly in the hall and turned to Sasuke, dropping his hand. She opened her mouth to whisper something to him when they heard something.

"Aaa—!" The scream cut off suddenly, and didn't last long, but it was enough to make both Sasuke and Sakura jump and whip their heads down the hall in the direction of the scream.

Sakura cast a glance at Sasuke for a split second, and then the two of them bolted down the hall.

Sakura turned her head from side to side, trying to pinpoint where the scream came from. She came to a skidding halt in front of a door, followed suit by Sasuke, and she kicked it in.

"_Yep, _very _good thing I didn't wear heels." _Sakura thought as she entered the room.

Upon entering, two things caught their attention, one was the woman lying unconscious on a bed, and the other was the opened air vent above their heads.

Sakura cursed. "He's trying to get away." She looked at Sasuke. "Help me up."

"What do you plan to do?" Sasuke questioned, looking from her to the open vent.

Sakura smirked at him. "What do you think?" She motioned for him to start moving. "I'll either catch him and we can call it a night, or I'll radio you guys if he keeps running. Either way, let's move quickly before he gets even farther away."

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, thinking of Sakura crawling through the vents after Cat, but he quickly shook himself as he twined his fingers together and leaned down closer to Sakura's level.

Sakura put an arm on Sasuke's shoulder, steadying herself, and then she lifted her foot onto Sasuke's intertwined fingers, and with a boosted leap clasped onto the opening of the vent and pulled herself in. She couldn't see Sasuke anymore as she pulled her whole body in, but she turned her head back like she could anyway.

"Make sure the woman is alright! Then wait for my call!" She ordered.

"Fine!" Sasuke responded, and then Sakura looked forward and began to pull herself through the ventilation system.

As she slid across the cold metal of the vents, Sakura tried her best to make her mind focus on the task at hand, and not about the task that had been at hand five minutes ago. She huffed exasperatedly.

"_Don't let it get to you. Don't let it get to you." _Sakura told herself. _"You are in mission-mode. Crawling through a vent after a guy who's been messing with the northern areas of the Land of Fire for a long time, and you're right on his tail. Keep focused." _

Sakura pulled herself forward for a little while longer, and then she suddenly came to a stop in front of an opened vent. Sakura furrowed her brow, knowing Cat was still trying to escape. She dropped down head first and rolled across the floor into a crouch.

Scanning the room for her quarry, Sakura stood as she found nobody was in the room.

"Where did he go…?" Sakura questioned aloud.

Then, she caught a sound. She turned towards the opened door. She recognized the noise; it was the sound of running footsteps. Sakura stuck her head out the door and immediately caught sight of a figure dashing down the hall. Sakura flung herself forward after him.

As she ran, Sakura brought a hand up to her neck where the switch for her radio hid just below the collar of her dress. She clicked it on and began to speak into it.

"Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi-Sensei," she called, "I'm chasing after Cat. He's running down the back of the east hall, headed south. Try going down the south and west halls to see if you can cut him off."

"_Okay!"_ Naruto's voice responded. _"I'm headed down the west hall!"_

"_Understood."_ Kakashi answered. _"I'm with Naruto."_

"_Got it."_ Sasuke replied. _"I'll take the south."_

"Alright." Sakura declared as she flipped off her radio and returned her attention to the chase at hand.

She focused on the figure running ahead of her, pushing herself to run faster and faster, and noticing that she was in fact catching up with him.

Cat threw his head over his shoulder, and she could visibly notice him tense when he realized that Sakura was on his tail. Pulling his head to the front again, he began to increase his speed.

Sakura cursed, momentarily wishing she had Sasuke's speed or that he was at least with her, and pushed herself to run faster.

Suddenly, Cat took a sharp turn and entered one of the rooms. Sakura's brow rose in confusion. _"He's cornering himself like that." _Sakura thought. _"But it's still best to be on guard…never know what he'll try." _

Sakura came to a screeching halt in front of the door Cat had entered, and swiftly but cautiously entered the room. She stopped in the doorway, scanning the area, but she couldn't see Cat in the little amount of light cast by the moon which shone through the window. She took a step forward, knowing he had to be somewhere. She came into the middle of the room, and then turned back towards the door, wondering where Cat had run off to.

Then, without warning, Sakura suddenly sensed the presence of someone behind her. That someone, who she immediately knew was Cat, grabbed hold of her. However, and she knew this had something to do with his reputation of raping a few of the women he caught, his hand came down and reached under the slit of her dress on the left, touching her thigh. Sakura's cheeks flared as inevitably, and much to her annoyance, Cat started to feel her up.

"You," Sakura screeched, whipping around with a chakra filled fist flying, "_pervert_!"

Not expecting the attack, Cat took the hit right to the stomach. He gagged as the wind rushed out of his lungs, and he flew backwards. Unfortunately for Sakura, he flew right at the window, forcing it open by the shutters, and he soared out and down the side of the building.

Sakura gawked for a moment, not having expected such a result. She ran forward towards the windowsill and stuck her head out. She searched the area with her eyes, and soon she spotted Cat dashing down a walkway two stories below.

"_Holy crap." _Sakura thought. _"This guy's tougher than we thought he'd be. Sigh…at least it didn't kill him. Kakashi-Sensei wouldn't be very happy with me if it did…."_

Sighing exasperatedly, Sakura jumped up onto the windowsill, and leaped off. She flew through the air, hit the ground, rolled until she came into a standing position, and bolted after Cat.

Sakura's hand came back up to her neck, and she activated her radio once again.

"Guys, Cat's on the run still. We've entered the courtyard, and I'm still chasing him. We're nearing the edge of the premises. Southeast side. Hurry over."

"_Got it."_ The three replied simultaneously. Sakura then turned off her radio once more, and focused again on chasing after Cat.

There was about 50 meters between Sakura and Cat, which, Sakura noted disappointedly, she didn't seem to be closing.

"_This guy must get chased a lot." _Sakura mused. _"How else can he run so damn fast for so long?" _

Sakura stared forward at Cat ahead of her, willing her feet to make her run faster. She could run faster, she thought, but unfortunately the dress restricted her movements just enough that she couldn't reach top speed.

Suddenly, much to Sakura's joy, Cat stumbled forward on a rock, giving her about two seconds which she took to go as fast as possible, and cover nearly half the distance between them before he could regain his initial momentum. Sakura grinned, now she was gaining on him. She wouldn't let him get away.

Then, Sakura became aware of the fact of where Cat was headed. He ran headlong towards a wall of bushes bordering the premises of the mansion. Sakura's brow furrowed, she didn't know what was beyond the bushes.

"_And if it's a forest," _Sakura thought, _"we're screwed. We'd need one of Kakashi-Sensei's ninja hounds to track him." _

She watched as Cat disappeared into the bushes, and, frowning, Sakura braced herself for impact with the wall of leaves. She tore through the branches and leaves and popped out on the other side. She scanned around the area, her brows rising in surprise.

"A park?" She declared, but then refocused as she saw Cat zigzagging his way through the equipment. She followed suit.

The first place Cat ran through was a row of swings. Sakura dodged and tumbled through them, cursing as she was hit by chains and swing seats.

As she got through them, she saw Cat making a sharp turn. She knew he was trying to confuse her in the jumble of instruments, or at best knock her out on one of the metal items. But, she thought, she wasn't going to let that happen.

The next place Cat tried to get her at was a merry-go-round. He came to a sudden stop as he ran over it, confusing Sakura as she ran and reached the metal contraption. But as she reached it, she knew why he had stopped. He jerked a handle on the merry-go-round, sending the whole thing whirling around as Sakura collided painfully with a bar.

"Shit." Sakura cursed as the bar hit her thigh, but then, she realized, Cat had made an error in his plan. The merry-go-round swung around right towards Cat. His eyes widened as he realized this, and he ran off as Sakura reached where he had stood, leaped off the merry-go-round, and continued her chase; now with less than eight feet between them.

Cat threw his head over his shoulder to see Sakura right on his tail. He turned his head back around as they reached a jungle gym. He jumped up, using the gym's bars like a ladder as he went up and soared through the air, landing back in the sand and taking off. Sakura did the same thing, but tried to use the high ground to her advantage as she launched herself off the bars and landed with just more than two arm's length between her and Cat.

Sakura smiled, she knew she was going to catch him. Cat realized her catching up as well, and with a sudden, surprising burst of speed, he began to widen the gap between them.

Sakura stared, shocked. _"This guy has to have had ninja training!" _

Cat gained about five feet between them, and then he ran up the ladder of a slide. Sakura growled; his antics were getting annoying. Cat slid down the slide a bit before he jumped off the rest. Sakura mimicked him, but did as she had before on the jungle gym, lessening the distance between them once again.

Sakura grinned. _"He's probably about to realize that trying to get the high ground won't work for him." _

As she thought, Cat turned his head around again to see Sakura approaching. He tried to pick up his speed again just as they reached a teeter-totter set. Cat ran onto the teeter-totter, and just as Sakura was about to jump on as well, he reached the other side, sending the board flying up and slamming into Sakura's chin. She fell back, cursing as she tasted blood in her mouth.

"Fuck," Sakura swore as Cat continued to run out of the park. Spitting out some blood, Sakura followed after him.

Cat ran through another thicket of bushes, disappearing. Sakura huffed, knowing she'd have to follow him. She ran through the bushes.

When she popped out, Sakura noticed that they had entered into a rose garden. She spotted Cat dashing through the thorny field, and Sakura began to do the same.

However, when Sakura jumped in, she immediately leapt back out with a yelp. She fell to the ground just on the edge of the garden, and looked down at her feet. They were stuck with thorns, which were slowly beginning to make her feet bleed.

"_Damn it." _She thought. _"I knew I should have just worn boots." _

Sakura looked up from her thought to see Cat still going through the field. She grit her teeth, he got away.

Sakura's fist pounded into the grass around her. After all she just went through, all she did, after how long she pursued him, he was still getting away, and she couldn't do anything with her feet now out of commission. She glared at his back as she forced down the frustrated tears that threatened to come forward.

As she watched him go, she hoped that Sasuke, Naruto, or Kakashi would come soon, and maybe they would still have a chance at catching him, but her hopes slowly began to fade away as he got farther and farther away.

But then, Sakura was surprised as Cat let out a sharp yell, and he fell to the ground. Sakura blinked, not knowing what had just happened. It couldn't have taken him that long to have realized that he was running through a field of roses. Even then, she thought, he had on tougher shoes than her, and the protection of long pants. His sudden fall baffled her.

A moment later, something dropped down next to Cat. Even in the low light, she could tell who it was by form alone.

"Sasuke," she whispered as he leaned down to look at Cat, who must have fallen unconscious for there to be no struggle.

Sakura watched Sasuke with Cat for a moment longer, and then two other figures came to join them. She knew it was Kakashi and Naruto. She then watched as the three had a quick conversation, probably Sasuke telling them about what happened, which was still an unknown story to Sakura.

Then, Kakashi reached down and hauled Cat's body up and over his shoulder. He looked around, and then his eyes landed on Sakura. He pointed over at the kunoichi, and Sasuke and Naruto's heads both turned in her direction. Naruto waved a hand enthusiastically in greeting, and Sasuke began to make his way over to her. 

When Sasuke reached her, Sakura noticed the smirk that graced his lips. She recognized it as the look Sasuke typically had when he was triumphant in something. As he reached her and saw her bloody feet though, the triumphant smirk died down to a concerned grimace. He crouched down beside her.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked, looking down at her feet.

"I should be asking you the same thing." Sakura responded, looking over at Naruto and Kakashi, who both still stood in the rose garden.

Sasuke's concerned look returned back into a smirk. "I took care of him."

Sakura blinked. "How?"

Sasuke looked back over at Kakashi and Naruto. "I was on your tail for a little while after you sent your last message about being outside, but I could never quite catch up. By the time I got here, you were already sitting here, and I saw Cat running. So I summoned up a snake which waited until he passed over it, and it bit him. It was just enough to knock him out. He's not dead, or else Kakashi probably wouldn't be very happy with me. Now," he looked down at Sakura, "what happened to you?"

"Well, let's see…" Sakura drawled. "I chased after him through the vents, then down a hall, into a room…uh…he…went through a window…and I chased him through the grounds of the mansion until we entered a park, there was a lot of hell there which I probably have a few bruises over, and then we came into the rose garden. I tried to follow him, but the thorns got me, so I couldn't. And that's basically all that happened until you guys came and stopped him."

Sasuke nodded as she finished speaking, and looked back down at her feet. "Will you be able to heal them?"

Sakura feigned a hurt expression. "Do you doubt my skills as a medic?"

Sasuke smirked, and leaned in closer to her. Sakura blushed at the proximities. "No. I've never doubted you."

The two stared at each other for a couple moments, and then, spurred by some unknown force, Sasuke started to lean in even closer. Sakura caught on and also began to lean in. Both of their eyes slid shut just as their mouths fully touched in a small kiss.

"Hey! Let's go guys!" Naruto's voice boomed across the garden, causing the two of them to jolt away from each other.

Sasuke stared at Sakura for a moment more, and then he shifted to be on Sakura's side. Sakura watched him, perplexed, and then suddenly his arms wrapped under her legs and behind her back, and he lifted her up into his arms.

Sakura blushed, wrapping her arms around Sasuke's neck for support as Naruto and Kakashi came over to them.

Naruto's brow wiggled as he grinned at Sasuke and Sakura. "Well well, how sweet of you Sasuke. And just what were you two doing so close together a few seconds ago? Is there something I should know about?"

Sakura's blush deepened as she glared at Naruto. Sasuke spoke before she could make a comment though, "Nothing much. Let's get home."

Kakashi nodded. "I agree, and let's stop by the jailhouse while we're at it. I'm sure people will be quite glad to see us come in with this little convict."

Everyone nodded their heads, and a moment later all of them were gone.

'"'"'"'"

Naruto stretched his arms into the air with a yawn. "Job well done team!"

"You don't have any room to talk." Sasuke commented. "You didn't do anything."

"Hey! I let you guys know where Cat was headed!"

"And then we had to chase him." Sakura stated, looking down at her newly healed feet.

Sasuke also cast a glance towards Sakura's feet, silently glad to see that she was alright.

"Well, Naruto's right, it was still a mission well done." Kakashi stated. "We've been successful, and we've stopped a man from causing any more havoc up here."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"Well then," Kakashi continued, "after a success such as this, I would treat you all to a bit of food, but it's getting late. Head on in to bed everyone."

"Okay." They all answered, standing up from the couches and chairs they had situated themselves on in the living room of their client's house.

"I call the shower first!" Naruto announced, bounding over to the hallway.

"Whatever," Sakura responded. "I'm more concerned about a good night's sleep than a hot shower."

"Alright, you all go do that." Kakashi declared. "I have to go talk a few things over with our client and get a few other things done before I turn in."

"And that's Kakashi-Sensei speak for 'I'm gonna go talk to the client for a second then escape to my room to go read my books.'" Naruto muttered before he disappeared down the hall. "Night everyone."

"See ya tomorrow." Sakura called as Kakashi also left. This just left Sasuke and Sakura in the living room.

Sakura scooted a little bashfully towards the hallway.

"Good night, Sasuke."

"Hn, night." Sasuke responded, heading towards the hall as well.

They both entered the hall, casting only small glances towards each other as they both went into their own separate rooms.

Sakura got into her room and almost immediately collapsed onto her bed. Her mind tiredly replayed all that happened over the course of the night. It especially caught on the two instances where she and Sasuke were together. She sighed as she thought of the two kisses they shared that night.

"_It would seem," _Sakura thought as one of her hands trailed its way up to her lips, _"fate actually did play for my side…. Though…I still don't know how we stand. Ah…I'm too tired…. Maybe…we'll talk tomorrow…." _

With that thought, Sakura drifted off into sleep. Unaware that similar thoughts played through Sasuke's mind as well.

**End! (Of this chapter and the arc.) Almost there! Five chapters to go! Next chapter wraps up the loose knots of this arc and the SasuSaku-ness, and then we dive right into the stuff that will lead us up to the idea I had that makes this story 32 rather than 31 chapters long, then it's one last little arc, and we're DONE! Woo…what a long road. Uh, let's see…yesterday I posted chapter 25 as I type this up, so next week I'll post 26, and then it'll be this chapter a week later. So…yep. Quite a bit to look forward to! Till the next chapter! **


	28. Closer Than Before

**Chapter Twenty-eight- Closer than Before**

"Thank you again for helping us to catch that criminal." The client of the mission repeated for about the tenth time.

"Really, it was nothing." Kakashi responded once again. "All in a ninja's work."

The client bowed his head. "We will be sure to call on you again if we need your services."

"Alright then," Kakashi replied, waving a hand as he backed away with Team Seven behind him. "See you all again…maybe."

"Good bye." The client called as Team Seven retreated from the village.

"Is it just me, or do I feel like…overly loved?" Naruto commented as they left the village.

"He was just very thankful." Kakashi stated. "Very…very thankful."

"Well, we did catch a guy who's been causing a lot of troubles for people." Sakura interjected. "I guess they were just really happy to see him go."

"Yeah…." Naruto sighed.

Sasuke stared at Sakura as she conversed with Naruto and Kakashi. The events of last night were still vividly clear in his mind. He could feel his mouth tingle slightly every time he thought of the kisses he and Sakura shared.

He tore his gaze away from the kunoichi towards the road ahead of them. Ever since their mission night, they hadn't spoken much, or at least they hadn't said anything about their interaction. After saying their good nights both had fallen asleep very quickly, giving them no chance to talk in private. The morning wasn't any different. By the time Sakura had woken up, Kakashi had already been up as well, giving them no alone time to speak as they ate breakfast and waited for Naruto to wake up.

Now they were headed back to the Leaf Village. Surely they'd have time to talk during their trek home; if the same thing as a couple nights ago happened and they got to sleep in the same tent again, at least. He silently prayed that they would, as any other time they'd be with Naruto and Kakashi, giving them no chance for the whole day either.

Internally, Sasuke groaned, the day was going to be a very, very long one.

'"'"'"'"

Eventually, and a painstakingly long time later for Sasuke, night fell, and Team Seven came to a stop in a forest to rest for the night. The squad sat nestled together around a fire as they ate their dinner.

"Well," Kakashi declared, "I guess tomorrow we'll be getting home with the good news of a mission successfully completed for Lady Hokage."

Naruto nodded his head vigorously. "Yeah! And what a mission it was for Team Seven all _together_ again! Eh, Teme? Sakura?"

Sasuke kept his face down, looking at his food. Sakura's cheeks flared slightly, knowing Naruto was probably hinting about her and Sasuke's "proximities," which had actually been them kissing, when Sasuke had come to pick her up by the edge of the rose garden, but she nodded her head. "It was good."

"Just good?" Naruto inquired, leaning towards the fire to gaze at Sakura and Sasuke on the other side. "I thought it was pretty interesting."

Sakura's cheeks darkened a shade, and she averted her gaze to her own food as Sasuke stood up.

"I'm going to bed." He announced.

Naruto looked despondent to see half of his quarry leaving. "So soon?"

"It's been a long day." Sasuke replied, not turning back as he headed for and entered the tent he and Sakura shared.

Sakura looked over her shoulder as Sasuke disappeared inside the tent, and then turned back to her food.

"He didn't even say good night." Naruto commented. "How rude."

Twenty minutes of idle chatter and eating later, Sakura stood to start heading to bed as well.

She waved a hand at Naruto and Kakashi. "Good night. I'm heading in."

Naruto and Kakashi both raised an arm. "Good night."

"Have fun." Naruto added in.

Sakura rolled her eyes as she turned away, though she couldn't stop the blush that reached her cheeks. She continued towards her tent, and leaned down to push the flap aside.

Upon entering, the first thing Sakura noticed was Sasuke sitting on his sleeping bag.

Sakura sighed as she fully came in and zipped the tent closed. "I figured you wouldn't be asleep."

Sasuke said nothing as Sakura moved over to her own sleeping bag and, like Sasuke, sat down on it. A silence fell on the tent.

Finally, Sasuke cleared his throat, and spoke without looking at Sakura. "So…about what happened at the party and…by the garden."

Sakura felt herself blush as she remembered the incidents Sasuke spoke of. "Yeah, don't think we can just leave it hanging at that…."

Another brief silence fell over the tent as they both thought of something to say next.

"Well," Sakura began, causing Sasuke to look over at her, "I think the only thing we can do…is clarify for the other how we feel."

Sasuke gazed at the kunoichi, seeming to contemplate it for a moment. The two made eye contact and kept it as Sasuke spoke. "Well, I'll confirm one thing for you…I like you…more than a friend."

Even though Sakura had dreamed of him saying those words to her many times before, and she anticipated hearing them after the party, hearing Sasuke actually say it brought a bright blush to her face.

"And," Sakura responded, also not dropping eye contact, "you should already know how I feel about you."

Sasuke said nothing, but he nodded his head.

Sakura's fingers played with her sleeping bag. "So…we like each other. Does this mean we're…um…a couple now?"

Sasuke's eyes softened as he gazed at Sakura, and without even really thinking about it, he moved forward, shrinking the gap between him and Sakura to just a few inches.

Sakura stared up at Sasuke as he moved closer to her. When he stopped a few inches short, Sakura took the initiative to come forward to close that distance between them. Their knees touched, and then they moved past that so they fit between each other.

Neither one of them said anything, like speaking would break the spell they seemed to be weaving as they kept their eye contact and came closer together. Sasuke's hand came up and cupped one of Sakura's cheeks. Sakura's eyes closed halfway as she brought one of her hands up over the one Sasuke had on her cheek. Then, without much more hesitation, Sasuke pulled Sakura's face up closer to his, and he in turn leaned down to make their lips meet.

The kiss was tender, very similar to the one they shared in the ballroom. The same feelings from before overwhelmed the two as Sasuke's hand roamed back from Sakura's cheek to lock in her hair. Sakura's hands came up and grasped onto Sasuke's shirt, which she used to pull herself closer and onto his lap as the kiss became fiercer.

Behind Sasuke's closed eyes, he could see the ballroom. He remembered how stunning he found Sakura in her dress, and how he felt dancing with her. Then she began to talk about what they meant to each other, and his heart leapt as he figured out that she felt the same way about him.

Back then when she had pulled herself up to kiss him, he expected her to keep moving, so when she stopped, he found it was probably up to him to close that last little gap between them, which seemed to be exactly what Sakura wanted him to do. He also saw the rose garden and Sakura illuminated in the moonlight as he leaned forward to kiss her again without even having really thought about it at that time.

In his mind he also saw other things. Like their fight back when Sakura and Naruto tried to bring him back. Truthfully, he didn't think he could have really gone through with what he had threatened before about killing her. He'd certainly never be able to do it now.

He also thought of their recent mission to the Land of Waves. He remembered how hard he had fought when Sakura's life was on the line. It seemed, he thought, he may have already been developing feelings for her. He also recalled how the two had interacted when they were alone with each other; on the roof of Asano's house, or on watch when they were heading back home.

Then, he recalled the time they spent together while he recovered in the hospital. It had been really nice to eat lunch with Sakura. Then, he left with Madara…and she nearly lost her life trying to get him back. His feelings may have been too jumbled, he thought, for that incident to have made him realize how he felt for Sakura, but it did seem to spark the subconscious side of him that did. After that Taka had come, Karin tried to kill Sakura, and that's when he understood how he felt. All these series of events seemed so perfectly set up just so that he could realize that he had romantic feelings for Sakura.

It would appear that even before he came back home, heck, maybe even before he left the Leaf Village when he was thirteen, that he had been slowly falling for her. Now she was his, and he wasn't going to let anyone or anything come in the way of that. Just thinking of Sakura being with anyone else made him frown momentarily, but then quickly returned to kissing her. That was another thing, he thought briefly, he enjoyed the feelings he got when he kissed her. Something about it felt so thrilling, and it also felt so right. It nearly drove him crazy to have to distance himself from her for the day as they traveled.

"_She loves me." _He thought, a small memory returning to his mind of that night she had confessed so. _"And I think…I probably love her back. It just took me longer than her to realize it. She's great…wonderful. No matter what she's been there for me, even through all I've done. She loves me for me…and even if we both have our issues, we've learned to get past them and accept each other. I guess…that's probably what it means to be in love." _

At the same time, similar thoughts went through Sakura's mind. Her mind also replayed the events that occurred ever since Sasuke came back from her perspective. Her conversation with Ino where she revealed her love for Sasuke also came to her mind.

She thought back to her days as a little fangirl, where she had first started to think she had a crush on Sasuke. Back then it was probably like all the other girls, an infatuation with the hottest guy in class. Then she was assigned to his team and got to know the real him, which is what she slowly started to really fall in love with. Her fantasies of the two of them being together fizzled out after he had left, and even now that she realized she still loved him, she still hadn't had any sort of fantasies about them besides the occasional daydream.

Now though, all her old fantasies were a reality as she held onto Sasuke and kissed him over and over. It almost fit one of her old time scenarios as well, where he'd sweep her off her feet in a ball while they danced together. The ball was over now, she got to dance with him, and in a literal way he even swept her off her feet when he carried her back home because of her bleeding feet.

Suddenly, the two fell back and Sakura's head hit her bag hard, jarring her out of her thoughts. She gasped into the kiss, and this caused Sasuke to pull away with a surprised expression. He hovered over her now, confused.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked, seeing her head laying on her bag.

Sakura detached one of her arms from Sasuke and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, it hurt, and it interrupted us, but I'm okay."

Sasuke gazed down at her, a light smirk on his face. Then he sighed and carefully dropped himself next to her. Sakura turned her head to look at him, perplexed. Sasuke then reached behind him and pulled his unzipped sleeping bag over them.

Sakura blushed as Sasuke repositioned himself and shoved her backpack away. "Um," she stammered, "don't you think Naruto or someone will say something if we…"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the thought of what Naruto would say. "It's not like we haven't before. We've all traveled and slept in the same area countless times. We'll just be closer than we usually are."

Sakura said nothing, unable to argue, nor wanting to argue, with his logic. Sakura shifted so she was laying on her side. "Okay."

Sasuke smirked at her again as he finished pulling the blanket over them, and then he draped an arm over Sakura's side. Sakura smiled at him as she placed one of her own arms over him, snuggling closer to his body.

Sasuke moved his arm for a moment to cup Sakura's cheek and make her look up at him. He quickly closed the distance and gave her a sweet kiss which she responded to before he pulled away and repositioned his arm. "Good night."

Sakura stared at him softly with a smile still stuck to her face. She then brought her head back down to fit it under Sasuke's chin. "Good night."

Then, with Sakura curled up against him, Sasuke fell asleep with the traces of a smile on his face.

'"'"'"'"

"No. Way."

"I'm telling you the truth."

"No way!"

"It's true!"

"Oh my god! This is huge!"

Sakura blushed. "Well, I don't think it's _huge_."

Ino scoffed. "Puh-lease! You know how many girls are gonna be out for your blood once they figure out that _you_ are dating Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Well, I mean, we haven't gone on a date yet." Sakura commented.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Fine. You know how many girls are gonna be out for your blood once they figure out that _you_ are Sasuke Uchiha's girlfriend?"

"Well—"

"Don't you start trying to make logical statements!" Ino snapped. "_You_ are Sasuke Uchiha's girlfriend! Sasuke Uchiha is _your_ boyfriend! You two are a _thing_! You both confirmed it and made-out in a tent with your teammates in the tent right next to you! You _slept_ with him for God's sake!"

"We were just sleeping together closer than normal. In a way, we've already slept together." Ino opened her mouth to make a harsh retort. "And what I was going to say earlier was I don't think many girls will live much longer if they really were out for my blood. I kinda have a reputation."

Ino let out a deep sigh. "You never make things easy, do you?"

"For you…no. I am your medical teacher. I am supposed to make you think about things."

"Hey! I've been going out on my own for a while! I don't need your tutelage anymore! I am a graduate!" Ino suddenly looked serious. "But back on track. You and Sasuke are together! When's your first date?"

"Uh," Sakura stammered, then averted her eyes to the ground, "I don't know…we kinda just got back and I haven't seen him since he walked me home earlier. And we didn't make any plans."

"Then why don't you go find him and ask?"

"I don't want to seem pushy! No one likes an abusive girlfriend."

"It's not abusive, it's suggestions that are occasionally violent."

Ino and Sakura shared in a round of laughter on the service counter in Yamanaka Flowers. When Ino recomposed herself, she spoke again.

"But really, when do you think you guys will be going on a date? You know I'd be happy to double with Kiba to go with you guys. I'm anxious to see the new couple in action."

Sakura blushed. "I don't know, okay? Like I said, we just got home. We're kind of trying to settle back in. When he's ready I guess he'll take me out to dinner or something."

Ino huffed. "That's so boring. Dinner. That's it. That's not a date that's a little get-together. He's gotta take you on a romantic walk! Kiss you in the moonlight! Yeah, sure, eat dinner, but get some more out of your romantic night together!"

"Ino, you've been reading too many romance novels again."

"In comparison to you."

"In comparison to a lot of girls, actually."

"Oh, whatever."

"Are we interrupting anything?"

Sakura and Ino both perked up at the voice. They gazed towards the entrance of the flower shop to see Tenten and Hinata standing there.

Ino waved them in enthusiastically. "No! No! Come in! Actually," Ino turned to grin at Sakura, "we've got some big news to tell you guys."

Tenten straightened up at this, and she gestured for Hinata to follow her. The two came forward and took a couple seats at the countertop. "What's up?" Tenten inquired.

Ino made a gesture for Sakura to speak. Sakura blushed and looked down at her lap, fiddling with the hem of her shirt till she looked up with a bashful smile on her face. "Me and Sasuke are together."

Tenten was silent for a moment, her mouth slightly agape. Hinata looked surprised. Tenten shook herself out of her stupor. "You and Sasuke? Together? Like…going out? Boyfriend and girlfriend? An item?"

Ino shook her head vigorously. "And they already made-out in a tent, followed by sleeping together!"

Tenten's mouth dropped open as she whipped her gaze towards Sakura, who shot a small glare Ino's way before she turned to meet Tenten's gaze. "Well, I guess we were kinda in the moment…but yeah, we have." She admitted.

Tenten still appeared dumbfounded. All of a sudden, Hinata spoke up. "C-congratulations, Sakura. I-I'm glad for you two."

Sakura's flushed appearance faded as she smiled at Hinata. "Thanks."

Tenten leaned forward. "So…spill the details! How'd it happen?"

"Uh…well," Sakura began as the three girls around her leaned closer with interest. "Well, we were on a mission up north, and it required the two of us be partnered up. Um…it was a ball…party…. We were trying to track someone down. We, well, we went in, we danced, we talked, and then…we started kissing. We got the mission done, eh…kissed again, and the next night when we went into our tent…we started talking, we admitted how we felt…and…yeah."

Ino blinked. "That's it?"

Tenten stared. "That cannot be it!"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "That's about it in a nutshell. I mean, beforehand I was kinda starting to get a…vibe that he was interested. So, after watching a little while longer…I kinda took a stab at it…and I was right."

Ino scoffed. "And yet you won't ask him out?"

Tenten gawked at Sakura. "You won't ask him out? You make the move to get you two together and you can't even ask him for a date? What is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with you?" Sakura retorted. "Why do people think I have to make all the moves just because he hasn't yet?"

"That is called guts!" Ino declared

"That is called pushy!" Sakura responded.

"And that is called being in denial." Tenten announced.

"What?" Sakura and Ino stated simultaneously.

Tenten shrugged, and then focused on Sakura. "Why won't you ask him out?"

"Why won't you get off my back?" Sakura snapped. "I'll ask him if I feel it's right. I'll let him do what he wants to do. Cut me some slack or prove me wrong by asking out Neji!"

Tenten immediately recoiled back with a blush on her face. "Neji has nothing to do with this!"

"Ha!" Sakura laughed mockingly. "See? You have no reason to rag on me about Sasuke!"

"What about me?"

All four girls whipped their heads towards the entrance. Sasuke stood in the doorway with a slightly perplexed expression on his face.

"S-Sasuke!" Sakura declared, a light blush of embarrassment for being heard reaching her face.

"Your man is here!" Ino announced.

"Thank you Captain Obvious." Tenten breathed as Sakura stood up and began to walk towards Sasuke.

"What're you doing here?" Sakura asked as she reached Sasuke.

"Hn," he responded, only casting a half glance towards the other three girls in the shop before he swooped down and pecked Sakura on the mouth. She had about a second to react, and as he pulled away she blushed harder. In the back Ino and Tenten "ooh"ed at them. "I'm here to take you home." He answered as he slipped his hand into hers and began to tug her away. "You can talk to the girls later."

"Uh," Sakura stammered as Sasuke pulled her away from the flower shop. She waved an arm at the girls. "I guess I'll see you guys later!" She called as she disappeared down the road.

The three girls sat there, slightly surprised.

"Well," Ino chirped, "I can see why she won't make the move. Looks like Sasuke's got enough boldness for the both of them!"

"What do you think they're going to go do?" Tenten asked.

"Oh, who knows knowing Sasuke. Maybe he'll take her out and we can finally say they're dating."

"I thought they were."

"Not by Sakura's twisted bit of logic."

Tenten sighed. "She's so inexperienced."

Ino sighed dramatically. "I know. She's learning though. So," Ino turned her gaze towards Hinata, "let's move on to you. When are you gonna get the boldness to take Naruto as your man?"

Hinata immediately began to blush like mad as Tenten giggled.

"_In the life of a kunoichi…no female is safe."_

'"'"'"'"

"Uh, so where are we going?" Sakura asked as she fell into step with Sasuke just a few meters off from the flower shop.

Sasuke looked down at Sakura with a smirk. "I'm taking you home."

Sakura blinked. "Home? But why?" She gazed up at the sky. "It must only be about 3. There's still plenty of daylight to kill."

"I know." Sasuke responded. "But I want to give you as much time as you need."

Sakura stared at Sasuke, confused. "Why? For what?"

"Don't you get it?" Sasuke inquired, an amused smirk on his face. "I'm taking you on a date."

**Ta-dah! Well, this obviously brings us into our next chapter-length part. SasuSaku date chapter! Awww. Heheh…I finished this chapter before I even really started chapter 27. I dunno why. I am just not feeling the "running through the mansion" action. It'll come eventually. I mean, I have the whole thing planned out. (And actually, this chapter isn't really finished yet. I haven't written the very beginning. I just had the tent scene in my head, so I wrote it and finished the chapter. Just gotta write the beginning!) Then I have to write all of chapter 27 or you people will never get this chapter. (Or at least not understand what happened.) Anyway, enough of my babbling. Everything's obviously finished now and my rantings are a part of the past. Till the next fluffy chapter peoples! **


	29. A Night to Remember

**Chapter Twenty-nine- A Night to Remember**

"Hmmm…what looks better? This…or this…?" Sakura hummed as she looked at herself in a mirror with two shirts held in front of her. She furrowed her brow, thinking, before she placed one down and brought the other one with her to her bed where some of her other choices lay.

Sakura sighed, tossing the shirt into the pile. She glanced over at a clock. It was 4:15.

"_I have 45 minutes." _She thought, and then a smile broke out across her face as she blushed. _"45 minutes till he'll be here." _

Sakura looked back down at the pile of clothes on her bed. Then, her eyes widened as she continued to grin. "Ooh, there we go!" She picked up a shirt and a pair of pants. "This will work nicely!" She held the clothes up to her face as she giggled. "I think Sasuke will like it."

A few minutes later, Sakura looked at herself in her mirror. She wore a black, sleeveless turtleneck shirt and a pair of light tan capris. She slipped on a couple bracelets on each arm and applied a bit of lip gloss and eye shadow. She looked very pretty, she thought.

"_And hopefully Sasuke will think so too."_ Sakura mused.

At the thought of Sasuke, Sakura sighed dreamily and dropped herself onto her now cleared bed.

"Sasuke…" Sakura whispered as she laid back and closed her eyes and thought of what had happened after she left Yamanaka Flowers with him.

"_I'm taking you on a date." He had told her. _

_Sakura stared at Sasuke, surprised. "A…a…a date?" _

_Sasuke smirked, amused by her reaction. He nodded. "Yes. And I'm taking you out at five, so I wanted to give you all the time you need to get ready."_

"_What? You think I take a long time?" _

"_Not really, but I wanted to give you some good forewarning anyway." _

_Sakura continued to stare at the Uchiha, and then a smile formed on her face as she blushed. "Alright." _

_The two arrived in front of Sakura's house and they turned to look at each other. Sasuke squeezed Sakura's hand for a moment before he dropped it. _

"_I'll be back to pick you up at five." Sasuke restated. _

_Sakura nodded her head. "I'll see you then." She took a step forward, grabbing hold of the front of Sasuke's shirt. Sasuke in turn placed a hand on her upper arm and the other on her waist, and leaned down to kiss her. Sakura responded readily and they parted a few seconds later. The two held each other's gaze for another moment as Sasuke rubbed a hand over Sakura's side. Then he turned and took off down the road in the direction of his house. Sakura watched him until he disappeared, a tender smile and a light blush on her face the whole time. _

Sakura opened her eyes and sat up. She looked over at the clock. She still had twenty minutes left. She rocked back and forth. She wished Sasuke would come now. Twenty minutes would probably feel like forever.

With a light sigh, Sakura stood up and left her room, hoping that walking around would kill a bit of time. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was greeted by her mother sitting on the couch in their living room.

Her mother turned and smiled at Sakura. "All ready?"

Sakura nodded her head and walked towards her mother. "Yeah…I'm just waiting till five now."

"Well, why don't you sit here and talk with me till then?" Her mother offered.

Sakura came around the couch and sat down on the other end. The two turned to look at each other.

"You look very pretty." Her mother commented.

"Thanks…." Sakura replied.

"I think Sasuke will love it."

Sakura blushed. "I hope so…."

Sakura's mother sighed and leaned back into the couch. "How long has it been since you two have known each other?"

"About…ten years I think. Though we didn't really start talking till five years ago when we were assigned onto our team together."

"Yes…" her mother huffed. "You've changed so much since then. I remember when your hair was long, and then you came back from the Chunin Exams with it sliced down to where it is now."

Sakura reactively brought her hand up to her hair. It was true, she thought. She had cut it off to get away from a Sound ninja who was trying to kill Sasuke. That had been the moment she had found her resolve not to be the one in the back anymore, and she fought the three ninja. And then Sasuke had woken up…and he beat them all up once he saw Sakura's condition.

"_I guess maybe,"_ Sakura thought, _"he might have already been starting to really care about me." _

"So," her mother piped up, "do you know where he's taking you?"

"Uh…" Sakura shook her head. "No, actually. I guess maybe he wants it to be a surprise…either that or he just didn't bother to tell me."

"Ah…I remember my first date with your father. He was the same way." Her mother laughed. "Only he didn't tell me because he didn't quite know how I'd react when he took me over to the Hot Springs."

Sakura's brows shot up. "The Hot Springs?"

"There was a restaurant connected to it for a while. He said he didn't know if I thought he was taking me out to eat or if he was trying to peek at me."

Sakura laughed. "That sounds like dad…. Well…except for the peeping part."

"Yes, it more than a little took me by surprise. Especially considering that I had never seen him as much of the perverted type."

The two girls laughed again, and a moment later there was a knock on the door.

Both girls turned their heads to the door for a moment, and then back towards each other.

Sakura's mother grinned. "He's here. You two have fun."

Sakura blushed as she stood and started to head for the door. "Right…thanks."

When Sakura opened the door, she was, as expected, greeted by Sasuke, though she didn't quite expect Sasuke to be holding flowers in his hands. He held them out to her. "Uh…hey."

Sakura blushed like mad as she took the flowers, completely overlooking the awkward "hey" that just came out of Sasuke's mouth.

"Um…" Sakura stammered. "Thanks." She placed them on a little table next to the door, cast a quick glance over her shoulder at her mother, who pretended to not be paying attention to the scene, and then she walked out and shut the door behind her.

Sakura glanced up at Sasuke as she came out, taking in his attire. He was dressed out of his ninja wear and into a dark gray, collared, button-up shirt and pants. It wasn't as fancy as a tuxedo, which actually would have made Sakura feel very awkward, but seeing him dressed up at all made her feel like she was wearing washed out casual clothes.

"_I guess this is what I get for having a…boyfriend…that even if he was just wearing a sack with arm and leg holes he'd still look good…." _Sakura thought.

The two stood there for a few moments, only a few inches between them. Sakura didn't quite know what to say, and was hoping Sasuke would speak up.

Regaining some of his usual stature, Sasuke greeted her again. "Hey."

"Hi." Sakura responded, and then looked up in time to intercept a quick kiss from the Uchiha.

When he pulled away, Sasuke reached down and took one of Sakura's hands. "Are you ready to go?"

Sakura took in a breath, finding her own usual stature as well. "Yeah."

The couple then started off down the road, hand-in-hand. They walked in silence for the first few minutes, neither one really knowing what to say.

Sakura cleared her throat. "I…I liked the flowers you gave me."

"Hn," Sasuke replied. "I hoped you would."

"_Well good," _Sasuke thought, _"I guess Naruto's randomly appearing and telling me to give them to her wasn't such a bad thing." _

Silence fell for another couple moments before Sakura thought of something else to say.

"So…" Sakura drawled. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." Sasuke answered, gripping her hand reassuringly.

Sakura's fingers that weren't laced with Sasuke's fidgeted as she thought of what her mother had told her about her and her father's first date. She didn't think Sasuke would bring her to the Hot Springs…especially seeing as there was no restaurant there anymore.

"_Well…where could he take me?" _Sakura wondered. _"A walk…the movies? Dinner? You just never know with Sasuke." _

Sakura turned her head to look up at Sasuke, who stared forward at the road. He seemed so calm, like this was nothing big. Internally Sakura huffed. She wished she could seem as nonchalant as him.

Inside Sasuke though, it was a different story.

"_Okay…we're almost there…maybe the conversation will pick up when we're there. God…I just don't know what to say. What am I supposed to say? Do I just make idle chatter? Then again…I'm not much of a talker. But…this is _Sakura_! She's…your girlfriend now. Things shouldn't be so awkward…especially not after our night in that tent…oh god. Don't start blushing! Just keep your cool. I bet Sakura isn't worrying about this very much! She's probably just fine…while I'm losing my mind." _

Sasuke stopped, slightly pulling Sakura to a halt as well. Sakura looked up at him, confused.

"We're here." Sasuke declared.

Sakura looked up to see what "here" was, and she was surprised.

"_A…a fancy restaurant?" _Sakura roared in her mind, looking up at the name of the restaurant. _"To make it worse…it's got one of those schmancy names you can never seem to pronounce! He's taking us _here_?" _

Sakura squirmed slightly in place. Sasuke caught this, and looked down at her.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Well…uh…" Sakura stuttered. "It's just…I…I feel so underdressed now…going to such a nice place…."

Sasuke stared at her quizzically for a moment, and then a smirk reached his face. He released Sakura's hand and put his arm around her. "You don't have to worry." He told her. "You look beautiful. Way better than any fancy-dressed girl."

Sakura blushed at hearing Sasuke call her "beautiful," and had to force her brain to send the signals to her legs to make her move forward into the restaurant.

Sasuke's smirk deepened as he saw Sakura's reaction. The two entered the restaurant as mentally Sasuke gave a relieved sigh.

"_Well, at least I'm not the only nervous one." _

'"'"'"'"

Sasuke and Sakura sat eating their food. Everything went by in relative silence, neither one really knowing what to say. Sakura stared intently into her food, as if conversation material would burst from the spaghetti noodles on her plate. Conversation material, Sakura thought, that didn't have to do with the food. That just seemed so lame to her.

Sasuke suddenly cleared his throat, and Sakura looked up at him.

"So," he started, "what were you talking about with the girls? Something that had to do with me…."

"Oh," Sakura stammered, thinking of her conversation with the girls in Yamanaka Flowers, "they were just…prodding. Ino and Tenten were pretty surprised to hear that we're…uh…"

"Dating?" Sasuke finished.

Sakura blushed, nodding her head and inadvertently looking back down at her food.

Sasuke caught this. "You're not…embarrassed are you?"

Sakura looked back up at Sasuke, surprised. "No! No, no. Of course not. It's just…this all seems so…"

"Surreal?" Sasuke finished again.

"Yeah…." Sakura replied.

"I know." Sasuke responded, putting one of his hands on the table. "But I don't think that should stop us from enjoying ourselves. It'll become natural eventually."

Sakura stared at the Uchiha across the table from her, taking in what he said. Then she smiled sweetly at him as she reached out and clasped his outstretched hand.

"Yeah…"

'"'"'"'"

When they finished their meal, Sasuke led her out of the restaurant and down the road.

Sakura glanced up at him. "Are we going somewhere else?"

Sasuke looked up to the sky. The sun was just setting. "We've got a lot of time, unless your mom has a 'before dark' curfew on you."

Sakura rolled her eyes at Sasuke's joke. "I wouldn't be a ninja if I had such an early curfew. I'd never get anything done. But I do think my mom would expect me home before say…midnight."

Sasuke smirked. "I guess. Don't worry though, I'll have you home before then."

Sakura smiled. "I'm sure, even though I do like the alone time we're finally getting. So…where are we going?"

"You'll see." Sasuke answered. 

Sakura sighed. "That's what you said earlier. Why all the surprises?"

"I'm just making it interesting."

"You have got to be kidding. I'm on a date with, honestly, the hottest guy in the village. What's more interesting than that?"

Sasuke chuckled. "You'll see eventually. For now…"

The two stopped in front of a movie theater.

"I thought we'd see that movie you keep talking about."

Sakura stared up at the movie theater for a moment, and then she averted her gaze to Sasuke. She smiled at him. "Sounds nice."

'"'"'"'"

Sasuke and Sakura sat together, watching their movie. It was already about halfway through, and so far they had been enjoying their time just being together.

Suddenly, from behind they heard a couple boys whispering to each other.

"Man, this movie is lame." The first muttered.

The second snickered. "It is. It's a lot more fun just looking at the cute pink-haired girl in front of us."

A brief silence fell, in which Sasuke and Sakura could only assume the first was looking at the "pink-haired girl."

"Dude, she's hot." The first finally whispered, obviously trying, and failing not to be heard.

"Totally. Wonder if she's single."

Having enough of the boys' comments, Sasuke turned his head and cast a sharp glare at the boys over his shoulder. His Sharingan flared momentarily, making both of the boys flinch in surprise as Sasuke moved his arm across the back of Sakura's chair.

Sasuke averted his eyes back to the screen as Sakura leaned against him.

"You know you didn't have to do that." Sakura murmured, low enough so that only Sasuke could hear her. "It's not like they could actually do something or make any sort of impact on me."

Sasuke's arm came down from the chair to wrap around Sakura's shoulders. "I know. But I wanted to put them in their place anyway."

Sakura smiled and shook her head, snuggling herself closer to the Uchiha. "Well, you don't have to worry. Why would I have an interest in anyone else if I have you?"

Sasuke smirked, tightening his grip. "I know. And I'm glad about that."

'"'"'"'"

"This has been a great time, Sasuke." Sakura stated as the two left the movie theater.

"Good." Sasuke responded, leading her down the road.

Sakura looked up at the sky. "It must be nearing nine now."

Sasuke followed her gaze to the sky. "Yeah. In which case we still have time to go somewhere else."

"Really?"

"You don't want to?"

Sakura shook her head. "No. It's great being with you. I just didn't know you had come up with so many things to do."

Sasuke smirked. "It took a bit, but I think this will be the last thing."

"Okay. So now are you finally going to tell me where we're going?"

"No," Sasuke answered, making Sakura sigh in a disappointed manner. Sasuke squeezed Sakura's hand he held. "Don't worry. I'm not telling you because I think this one will be pretty special."

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, and then looked forward. "Well…at least you finally gave an explanation." She squeezed his hand back. "I can't wait to see."

'"'"'"'"

"So when can I open my eyes?" Sakura asked, walking carefully by Sasuke's lead.

"In just a few moments." Sasuke answered, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her up a ledge.

The two walked on for a couple more minutes, and then Sasuke pulled Sakura to a stop.

"Okay," he announced, "check it out."

Sakura opened her eyes, taking in the sight before her. She drew in a breath. "Oh wow."

Sakura gazed in awe as she saw the whole village below her. The village sparkled with lights from houses and streetlights, standing out in dazzling contrast to the dark night that loomed over the village. It was obvious to tell they were in a lookout area indented into the side of the stone heads.

Sakura continued to stare out across the village for a moment longer, and then turned to face Sasuke. Her face was lit up with an amazed grin.

"You brought us here?" Sakura breathed.

"Obviously." Sasuke responded, taking a step closer to stand beside her. "I thought you'd like it."

"I've never been up here before." Sakura declared. "Well…at least not right here…and not at night. It's amazing."

Sasuke said nothing, taking her hand and pulling her over to a bench she hadn't noticed was there. The two sat, gazing out towards the village.

Sakura leaned against Sasuke. "You know…this whole night has been great. I was so nervous at first, but now…that initial nervousness is gone, and everything just seems so perfect."

Sasuke wrapped an arm around her as he had done in the theater. "I know what you mean."

Silence fell between the two as they sat there, enjoying the sight and each other's company. Sakura glanced up, and then she nudged Sasuke side. "Look at the stars. They look so bright."

Sasuke looked up at the sky, seeing the bright stars spread across the dark sky. "Yeah. I can see some constellations."

Sakura's eyes raked through the patterns of stars. "Oh, I never thought about that. You're right."

They continued to stare up at the stars, occasionally pointing out constellations to each other. Sasuke made a mental note to one day take Sakura out stargazing, and the two reveled in having some good, general conversation material to loosen up the last of their nervous anxieties.

Eventually Sakura sighed. "Do you believe the old mythology…that when someone dies they'll go up and become a star or a constellation and watch over the world?"

Sasuke eyes glanced downward at Sakura nestled between his shoulder and neck, and then back up to the stars. "I don't know. I've never met anyone who could definitively say. Though I would guess if that was true…then maybe my family is watching us now."

Sakura caught a slight change in Sasuke's voice at the mention of his family, and her brow furrowed apologetically. "Sorry…I guess I just made you think about that incident…."

Sasuke leaned his head against Sakura's. "No. It's okay. I'd actually be glad if they were watching. They'd see that I'm okay…and I'm happy. And they'd get to see you."

Sakura blushed as Sasuke mentioned his family seeing her, and gripped her hands together. "I wonder…what they would have thought of me."

Briefly, a smile reached Sasuke's face, but Sakura couldn't see it. "I think they would have liked you…even my father."

Sakura's blush darkened at Sasuke's comment, but she smiled. "I would hope so."

'"'"'"'"

It was nearing 10:30 when Sasuke and Sakura came upon the Haruno household. They came to a stop just a few feet off from the door, and turned to face each other.

"I guess this is it." Sakura stated as she glanced from the door to her house to their still interlocked hands.

"For tonight at least." Sasuke declared, an expectant smirk reaching his face.

Sakura blushed lightly. "For tonight…. I had an amazing time."

Sasuke gripped her hand. "Me too."

The two stood in silence for a brief moment.

"Well," Sasuke started, "I suppose this is good night."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah…good night."

Sasuke dropped Sakura's hand, but instead of turning and heading off toward his house, he took a step forward. Sakura followed his lead, stepping forward as well. Sasuke's arms came around her waist as Sakura's came up around his neck. Sakura tip-toed up, Sasuke leaned down, and their lips met.

They both held it for a long time, trying to make their final moments together for the night last. When the two finally pulled away for air, they stayed locked in each other's arms for a moment longer, maintaining eye contact.

Finally, they let go of each other. Sakura smiled sweetly at him as she stepped backwards a few steps and put her hand on the door.

"Good night." She called again as she opened the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He responded before he turned and started to walk down the road as Sakura entered her home.

When Sakura came into her house and closed the door, she sighed and leaned against the wall. Her hand which she had been using the whole night to hold Sasuke's came up and touched her lips. She could still sense him on her, and it brought forward thoughts of their date.

"_Our first date…." _Sakura thought. _"That was our first date…and it was so…wonderful." _

Sakura's eyes closed momentarily, and when they opened she smiled and started to head towards her room.

"_And that was just the first of many to come…in my relationship with Sasuke." _

**Woo! I actually got this finished! And it's just two days before I go on vacation! (Which is over by the time this is published.) Ah…and now I just have to think about the final three chapters, in which…I still have quite a bit to think up. I hope you people liked the SasuSaku fluff I have in here. Nothing really huge, just the two of them adjusting to the thought that they're a couple now. Moderately sweet stuff. I keep losing my train of thought. I feel tired. Ah…well…anyway. Till the next chapter! On to the final arc! **


	30. All Fun and Games

**Chapter Thirty- All Fun and Games**

"It is still totally and completely unbelievable!" Naruto exclaimed in Ichiraku Ramen.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "What's so unbelievable about me and Sasuke being together if you're the one who was trying to shove us together in the first place?"

"No, not that. That is totally believable seeing as it's obvious you guys are completely into each other." Naruto responded. Sasuke and Sakura both shared a little look. "What I meant to say was I can't believe what that ramen stand down the road is trying to do! Imitating Ichiraku is like trying to imitate the Hokage! It's not gonna work!"

"So what's your excuse?" Sasuke murmured, causing Sakura to giggle.

Naruto shot Sasuke a small glare. "This is serious! An outrage! Someone needs to teach those guys a lesson!"

"Where's the correlation here?" Sakura asked. "Two seconds ago we were talking about me and Sasuke's date, and now you're talking about ramen."

"Because I just remembered and had to say it." Naruto answered, and then cast a glance between the two ninja beside him. "Well, I guess what's also unbelievable is that Sasuke has much of a romantic side at all! I mean…look what you guys did in the tent! I can't believe I didn't notice! And by the sounds of your date a few days ago…. And considering how you two are acting like a newlywed couple…."

"What? We are not!" Sakura retorted, blushing slightly while fidgeting with Sasuke's hand she held under the counter.

"Yeah, suuure you're not." Naruto drawled sarcastically, propping his elbow against the table and leaning his cheek against his hand. "It's like you're not even dating."

"No need to sound so blatantly sarcastic." Sakura grumbled into her bowl of ramen. Naruto let out a laugh as he began to eat some of his ramen.

"Or jealous." Sasuke declared.

Naruto spluttered on a gulp of noodles. "Jealous? And why would I be jealous?"

"Because unlike the girl you like, the girl I like actually had the guts to make a move to get us together."

"Wait a minute! What girl I like? What the hell are you talking about, Teme?"

"Like you don't already know." Sasuke answered, looking away from the blond with a triumphant smirk on his face.

"No, I don't know." Naruto responded in a somewhat quieter tone; a tone that told Sakura and Sasuke that most likely he was lying.

"You know…the one with the hair. The long hair. And the face. The face you're attracted to." Sakura snickered in a teasing manner, knowing pretty well who Sasuke was referring to.

"I still don't know who you're talking about." Naruto replied, but the pink on his cheeks were obviously clear.

"Just keep telling yourself that, Naruto." Sakura stated. "We all know how you feel."

Naruto's cheeks remained their slightly pink color as he kept his eyes trained stubbornly on the back of the ramen stand. "You guys are crazy about more than each other."

"At least we have the guts to admit it." Sasuke responded snidely.

"Oh, whatever." Naruto scoffed, returning to his ramen. But then, he perked back up. "Oh yeah, so how did the fangirls react?"

"What?" Sakura questioned.

"You know…how did the fangirls react to finding out Sasuke's off the market?"

Sakura blinked, and turned to look at Sasuke. "Come to think of it…I don't know. I'd imagine they're pissed, but it's not like they can do anything about it."

"Exactly," Sasuke responded. "And I'd prefer not to see their reactions. It'd be a drag."

"Teme…do you even realize how much like Shikamaru you just sounded?" Naruto grinned, shaking his head disbelievingly.

"Whatever…." Sasuke muttered, pushing away his finished bowl. "I'm done."

"Me too." Sakura declared, pushing away her own bowl.

"I can still go for another one." Naruto announced.

"Of course _you_ can." Sakura huffed. "How are you not broke?"

"It's called conservatory ramen consumption."

"More like it's called he mooches off his friends enough so that he can keep some money left over." Sasuke stated.

"Which is just another part of conservatory ramen consumption." Naruto beamed. "See, I'm a genius!"

"Suuure you are."

"Teme!"

"Dobe."

"You guys…" Sakura interjected. "Really, when are you two ever just going to get along? You two bicker all the time."

"That's just what best friends do!" Naruto answered. "We fight with each other to keep our comeback timing sharp and precise! And then we can beat everyone else in verbal combat because we're trained!"

"And strangely enough he's actually sort of right." Sasuke sighed.

"Oh whatever…." Sakura huffed. "Why do I even try?"

"I dunno…habit?" Naruto responded, and then turned his attention to the ramen bowl that was just placed before him.

As Naruto slurped up his noodles, Sakura turned to Sasuke.

"Is that seriously the only reason you guys fight?" She asked.

"Well, sometimes he really does just piss me off, but—"

"Hold that thought." Sakura suddenly cut in, her head turning to the side to look down the road from the stand. Her eyes sharpened into a glare as Sasuke followed her gaze and saw what she caught.

Three girls stood less than ten feet away from the stand. Glaring daggers similar to the ones Sakura returned. One of them particularly eyed Sasuke and Sakura's entwined hands.

Sakura finally spoke up, her voice dripped with a threatening acid. "Can I help you three?"

The three looked taken aback for a moment, but then the one in the middle seemed to gain some confidence. "You can stop thinking you're all cool just because you're dating Sasuke. Or better yet, you can break up with him to save yourself the heartbreak when he gets bored of you. Forehead freak."

The first two statements didn't really have an effect on Sakura. She was acting that way because they were glaring at her, not because she thought she was cool, and she also knew that she and Sasuke probably weren't going to break up any time soon. However, the last comment of "forehead freak" struck a nerve in her, and she was suddenly on her feet.

"You wanna say that again?" Sakura growled.

The same girl opened her mouth to respond, but her open mouth quickly turned into a gape of shock as Sasuke reached out, grabbed Sakura's wrist, pulled her towards him, and kissed her on the mouth. Sakura was stunned for a moment, but then she understood, and kissed him back. A second later they pulled away and Sasuke spoke. "Don't mind them. They're just jealous. Sit back down."

Sakura stared at Sasuke for a moment, shot a smug glare back at the three girls, who seemed to be in shock, and consented to sitting back down. "Okay." The two then laced their fingers together again, and ignored the three girls as they gawked a moment more, and then quickly turned on their heels and got out of there.

Naruto did a low wolf whistle. "Well, that was certainly interesting. Didn't know you were that kind of protective, Teme. So much you'd kiss Sakura right here in public!"

"Hn," Sasuke snorted. "I don't see why it's such a big deal. We're a couple, we're allowed to."

Naruto chuckled as Sakura blushed from hearing Sasuke actually refer to them as a couple, but she smiled as well. That was just another reason she loved Sasuke; he cared about her, and won't hesitate to show it when the need arises. He was loyal like that.

"Ah! My belly feels happy!" Naruto exclaimed as he finished off his last bowl of ramen.

"Great, so we can go home now." Sasuke muttered, standing up and slightly tugging Sakura with him.

"Wait! Wait!" Naruto called as his two teammates fully stood up and prepared to leave. They stopped at his beckoning, and faced him. "We gotta work off all this ramen!"

"Go jog around the village then." Sasuke responded, and started to once again pull Sakura away from the stand. "Our walk home will probably get rid of ours."

"Wait! Wait!" Naruto begged. "Come on! Hear me out! I wanna play a game! A challenge!"

The couple stopped once more from Naruto's calls, and faced him again.

"What kind of challenge?" Sasuke asked, slightly interested if it meant an opportunity to show the blond up.

Naruto grinned. "A game of tag hide-and-seek!"

Sasuke and Sakura blinked, and then Sasuke turned to leave. "Sounds boring. And we're not academy students anymore."

"Wait!" Naruto cried out. "You didn't even let me finish!"

Sasuke sighed exasperatedly, but turned back around. "What is it?"

Naruto's grin widened. "Okay…so the rules go like this. Say I'm 'it.' I have to count to twenty while you guys run off to hide. Then I go look for you, and if I find you, I have to catch you too! Then, say I caught Sakura, she'd have to count to twenty where she was caught while me and the Teme would go hide, and it just keeps going on until sundown."

"And what happens at sundown?" Sakura asked.

"At sundown," Naruto beamed, "the person who's 'it' has to suffer through a dare made up by the two who aren't 'it' by then. Got it?"

"It sounds like fun. Better than what I was going to end up doing when I got home." Sakura looked up towards Sasuke. "What do you think?"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, looked down at Sakura, and huffed. "Whatever…."

"Alright!" Naruto cheered, and then he held out a fist. "Rock-paper-scissors to decide who's 'it' first!"

Sasuke and Sakura followed Naruto's motion.

"Rock. Paper. Scissors. Go!" Naruto declared.

Naruto put out paper, and both Sasuke and Sakura put out scissors.

Naruto gaped at their hands. "Damn couple telepathy!"

"What's that got to do with anything? You just suck at this game." Sasuke commented.

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Tch, whatever Teme! You'd have gotten your butt kicked if Sakura's couple telepathy hadn't reached you and given you the right answer!"

Sasuke looked about to reply, but Naruto quickly turned on his heel and leaned his face against the wall of Ichiraku.

"I'm starting to count! Go! One, two, three…"

Sasuke and Sakura glanced sideways at each other, and then the two took off onto the rooftops.

Mentally, Sakura counted in her head, making sure she was hidden before she reached twenty. She spotted a dark alleyway, and jumped down into it. She crouched down behind a trashcan. She reached twenty, and now she just waited to see if Naruto could find her or Sasuke.

"_Come to think of it," _Sakura thought, glancing around, _"I wonder where Sasuke hid…." _

She sat there in silence for a couple moments, strumming her fingers against her leg. It wasn't like they could get far in twenty seconds. She thought she'd have heard Naruto by now.

Suddenly, something touched her ankle. She had to slap a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming, thinking it was probably a rat. But then, something wrapped around her, much bigger than a rat.

"_Damn it! Naruto caught me!" _She thought.

"I know Naruto sucks at sensing chakra, but if you don't get it under control, he'll find us." Someone whispered in her ear, and then she immediately knew who it was.

"Sasuke," Sakura hissed, also whispering, "you scared the hell out of me! First I thought you were a rat, and then I thought Naruto caught me!"

Sasuke smirked. "Well, I'm not either one of those things. Now put a lid on your chakra. It's giving you away."

Sakura blushed, took in a breath, and concealed her chakra.

"Good girl." Sasuke murmured, making Sakura's blush darken.

"And good try!"

Sakura and Sasuke both jolted slightly at the exclamation, and Sasuke tensed as two hands slammed onto his shoulders.

"Gotcha, Teme!" Naruto declared. "You're 'it!' Now start counting to twenty!"

Sasuke grunted, but stood up and closed his eyes. "One, two, three…"

Sakura and Naruto ran from the alleyway as quick as they could, and went off in separate directions.

Sakura did a mental check, making sure Sasuke couldn't sense her chakra, and also mentally crossing off any places that would be obvious to hide in. There was no way she was going to let Sasuke catch her.

In her mind, Sakura had already reached twenty, and she frantically searched for a hiding spot. She dove under a fruit stand and quickly positioned herself for an easy escape if Sasuke found her. He'd have to catch her, after all, before she was declared 'it.'

Silence fell. She knew she was only a few hundred meters from the alleyway they had been in, so the fact that she didn't hear Sasuke, she thought, must mean he went in the direction Naruto ran off in.

But then, she caught a sliver of what was undoubtedly Sasuke's chakra, and she lunged out from under the cart, glancing back in time to see his hand swipe under it to get her. She sprang to her feet as Sasuke came out from behind the stand.

"Guess I got a little excited and let some chakra loose." Sasuke smirked.

Sakura smirked back at him, and then waved. "See ya!" She dashed down the road.

"Oh, you will." Sasuke muttered, and took off after the kunoichi.

Sakura looked over her shoulder to see Sasuke on her tail. She grinned. She wouldn't be caught so easily. She swiftly veered onto another road, and then did another quick turn into an alleyway. From there, she ran straight up the wall onto the roof. She flattened herself on the roof, making sure Sasuke couldn't see her.

She heard footsteps follow her trail, round the corner, and then they stopped. She smiled triumphantly. She'd tricked him. She couldn't hold back a small giggle at outsmarting Sasuke.

However, right as she finished her giggle, something came over her waist, and she had to bite back another yelp as she saw Sasuke lying down next to her.

"And what are you laughing about?" He asked, and then stood up. "You're 'it'."

Sakura stared up at Sasuke for a moment, and then sighed. "This is not over."

"Of course not. We have till sundown."

"Yes, and I'm going to catch you again!"

Sasuke smirked. "We'll see about that."

Sakura beamed. "You're gonna lose…and I'm going to make sure me and Naruto come up with something really good to make you do."

Sasuke's smirk deepened. "I'll take that challenge. Now start counting." And then he was gone.

Sakura looked forward, shut her eyes, and began to count. When she finished, she stood up and scanned the area from her high vantage point. Not spotting Sasuke, or even Naruto, she jumped down and started to search.

"_Now where would Sasuke hide…?" _She asked herself, determined to find the Uchiha.

She continued to look around, still not picking up on where Sasuke could possibly be. Then, a crash rang out next to her. She jolted, and turned to see Naruto lying on a pile of trash bags.

Sakura blinked. "Naruto…?"

Naruto looked up from his point on the ground. "Oh! Sakura! Hey! Er…you're not…'it' are you?"

Sakura stared at the blond for a moment, and then grinned. "In fact I am."

Naruto stared back another moment. "Eheh…heh…. Right…. See ya!" Naruto then quickly got up and bolted away from her.

She watched him for a moment, sighed, and then began to chase after him.

"_I'll get you eventually, Sasuke." _

Naruto ran as fast as he could, not wanting to be 'it' a second time already. He threw a glance over his shoulder and saw Sakura hot on his heels. He turned his head back around and made a shadow clone hand sign. A moment later there were Naruto's on either side of him.

"Scramble guys!" Naruto exclaimed, and then the group of clones converged together into a tangle of orange, black, and blond.

Sakura didn't stop. "You think that's gonna stop me?" With that, she leapt into the fray and started defeating clones until there was only one left, which she now held on to by the collar. Sakura grinned triumphantly. "Gotcha."

Naruto beamed up at Sakura and chuckled. "Heheh, think again!" And the Naruto clone disappeared.

Sakura gawked at the empty air between her fingers, and then cursed for falling for such a trick.

"You're not getting away!" She called, searching for the blond.

A small rustle down a back road caught her eye, and in a flash she dove at it. She hit the ground where the person had been, and in a last effort, lashed out and caught their ankle, causing her prey to fall to the ground.

"Gotcha now Naru—" Sakura stopped, "Sasuke!" She grinned as she recognized her raven-haired boyfriend. "Well, this is even better!"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, getting up and dusting himself off. Sakura followed his motion.

"I caught you! I said I would!" Sakura cheered.

Sasuke smirked at her. "Only because I let you."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Please, you were so caught off guard. Now you're 'it' again, and you're not going to catch me!"

"We'll see about that." Sasuke responded, and then shut his eyes to start counting.

Sakura took off down the road. If she could possibly get farther away from Sasuke than Naruto, she had a chance the two would run into each other, and then Naruto would be caught instead of her.

"_You're not going to catch me so easily this time, Sasuke." _Sakura thought as she rounded a corner and found herself facing a pile of cardboard boxes.

"I'll be able to hear him coming for me if he has to dig through them. They're perfect." With that, Sakura crawled into the pile, making sure there were multiple boxes on any side of her before situating herself.

Silence fell. Sakura could just see the main road from a crack in her protection of boxes. A couple people walked by, but they weren't who she was looking out for.

Then, she saw Sasuke. He passed by the alleyway and glanced into it for a moment, staring intently at the boxes.

"_I hope he's not using Sharingan." _Sakura thought. _"That would so be cheating! There'd be no point in hiding my chakra since he'd be able to see me anyway!" _

Sasuke stared into the alleyway for a moment longer, turned, and then walked on. Sakura smiled. He hadn't even seen her!

_Sssss…._

Sakura tensed at the noise, and looked down. Sakura's heart leapt into her throat. There was a snake right next to her foot.

"Aah!" Sakura screeched, jumping away and knocking around her protection of boxes. She stumbled backwards in the tangle of cardboard boxes, and nearly fell over until she felt something catch her.

Sakura took a moment to make her heart rate calm down, and then she finally looked up to see what had broken her fall. Her heart dropped. It was Sasuke.

Sasuke smirked down at her. "I caught you again."

Sakura's mouth opened, but for a moment no words came out. Finally, "That was your snake! Oh! You sneaky little…!"

Sasuke chuckled, helping Sakura to stand up normally. "Yes, it was sneaky, but that's called strategy."

"Humph," she huffed, turning away. "You won't get away with this."

"For now I will. Now start counting."

"Yeah, yeah." Sakura sighed, closing her eyes to begin her counting.

Once she finished, Sakura's eyes snapped open and she hurried down the road in search of her teammates.

She jogged through the town, turning her head from side to side. She had recently seen Naruto, and Sasuke had caught her, so both of them should still be pretty close by.

Then, Sakura caught a flash of very familiar bright orange, and, while still keeping her speed, she stealthily tailed after her blond teammate. Once he came within distance, Sakura lunged. Her arm wrapped around his neck.

"Gotcha now, Naruto." Sakura declared. "And if I were an enemy ninja…you'd be dead. You may want to work on that."

Naruto laughed. "Yeah, yeah. You caught me. I'll start counting."

Sakura smiled at Naruto's back, let go of him, and turned to leave. She came back onto the main road and started to run again.

However, just as she had started to think she was getting distance between her and Naruto, something wrapped around her in a strong bear hug.

"And now I caught you, Sakura!" Naruto laughed, letting go of his teammate.

"No way was that twenty seconds!" Sakura retorted.

"It was!" Naruto clarified. "I guess I just count faster than you. Either way, I caught you!"

"Heh, yeah, you did. Don't expect it to happen again." She told him, and then shut her eyes.

Their game continued like that. Eventually, the three found themselves playing in a deconstructed part of the village, which had recently been under demolition, but hadn't been touched lately. To them though, it gave them more places to hide.

Currently, Sasuke was 'it', and he was right on Sakura's heels as he chased after her. Sakura weaved in and out of buildings, trying to lose him. Then suddenly, Naruto was in front of her. The two ran into each other, but Naruto kept them from falling over.

"I got her, Teme! Tag her!" Naruto unexpectedly declared.

Sakura gaped. "Why you—!"

Sasuke stared at the scene for a moment, and then ran at the two, Sakura struggled, trying to get free, but then, Sasuke jumped, flipped over them, and his hand landed on Naruto.

"I'm not the kind to take offers like that. You're 'it', Dobe." Sasuke stated.

"Aw, Teme!" Naruto pouted, but shut his eyes to count anyway.

Sakura began to take off, but then Sasuke suddenly grabbed her and pulled her in another direction.

"I have a plan to trick the Dobe, and while he's looking we can get out of here till sundown so he loses." Sasuke whispered to Sakura.

Sakura beamed. "Well, that kinda takes the fun out of it, but whatever, let's see what you got."

Sasuke pulled Sakura into a building, and brought her in front of a window which had a clear view of another building. Sasuke did a couple hand signs, and from the distance Sakura just caught sight of a snake slithering into the house they could see.

"It'll push the door closed when Naruto passes, so he'll think we just went in. Then he'll search the house, and we'll make our escape." Sasuke explained.

"Okay." Sakura replied.

It was quiet for a moment, and then they saw Naruto looking around for them. Then they saw the door close and watched as Naruto went straight for the bait. Naruto entered the building, and once inside, Sasuke took Sakura's hand and started to lead her out of the house.

Sakura giggled. "I guess this will give us plenty of time to think of a good collaboration dare to make Naruto do."

"Yeah, though actually I was thinking we could—"

_BLAM!_

Sasuke and Sakura both leapt at the noise. They whirled around to see what had happened, and both froze in horror. The house they had just tricked Naruto into entering had imploded, and now it lay in crumbling ruins. And there was no doubt that Naruto was inside.

"_NARUTO!_"

**Dun-dun-dun! Cliffhanger! But not just any cliffhanger! It's the last cliffhanger of this story! And boy is it dramatic! Naruto's life hangs in the balance! Could he have possibly survived the explosion? Tune in to the next update to find out! (Or go to the next chapter if it's already out.) So…almost done with the story! Two more little chapters to go! Two more chapters I still have to finish…come on Okami-chan! You can do it! Write! Write I say! (If only it was always that easy.) Till then! **


	31. Till Someone Gets Hurt

**Chapter Thirty-one- Till Someone Gets Hurt**

"Naruto! Naruto!" Sakura called frantically, pushing aside rubble and whipping her head around, searching for the blond she called for.

"Naruto!" Sasuke also called, searching on the other side of the rubble.

"Aughhhh…" the groan made both Sasuke and Sakura jump slightly and turn their heads towards a particularly high pile of debris.

The two looked over at each other for a split second before they dashed through the ruins towards the pile. Sakura immediately began to pick up and throw away the larger pieces of the building, continually calling Naruto's name.

Finally, Sakura pulled away a large support beam, and she gasped as she saw the sight before her. Naruto was laid on his back, his left arm bent unnaturally under him. Blood seeped into his clothes from a gaping wound in his side. He was a filthy mess of dirt, debris, and blood, and one half-opened eye indicated his half-conscious state.

Sakura dove down towards him, with Sasuke joining her on Naruto's other side. Green chakra emanated from her hands as she put them both on Naruto's chest.

A grave look found its way onto Sakura's face. "It's not good. I can't work here without my supplies without risking leaving debris in his wounds." Sakura looked up at Sasuke. "We need to get him to the hospital quickly before he dies of blood loss."

Sasuke nodded his head, saying nothing as he picked his best friend up. Sakura stood with Sasuke, and a moment later they took off down the road as quickly as possible.

Running in front, Sakura cast a glance back towards Sasuke and Naruto. She tried to put on a strong face, but she couldn't manage it once she saw Naruto. She pulled her head forward.

"_Why did this have to happen?" _She questioned mentally. _"How could we have let it…?" _

'"'"'"'"

Sasuke sat in the waiting room at the hospital, fidgeting with his fingers idly. He glanced at a clock on the wall for about the hundredth time. It was almost five. Two hours since they had arrived at the hospital and he had been condemned to sit there and wait while Sakura ran off to the emergency room with Naruto.

He frowned, looking back down at his fingers. _"Why is it that…I can't do _anything_? When it comes down to it…I couldn't help him…. And even now I can't help. I hate this…." _

Sasuke looked up at the clock again, sighed, and leaned back into his chair. "I want to be able to do something…I can't stand sitting here…waiting…."

Sasuke sat there for another moment, and then stood up.

"_Maybe I _can_ do something…." _

'"'"'"'"

Sakura wearily exited the emergency room, a tired smile on her face. She was happy. Naruto was going to be okay.

Sakura lifted her head to take in the waiting room, and she stopped. Sasuke wasn't there. She glanced at a clock to find it was nearly 5:30. Her shoulders slumped sadly, thinking he must have gotten tired of just sitting and waiting for two and a half hours.

She walked over to an empty waiting chair and sat down. Naruto would be okay, but just barely. He had suffered severe internal damage that should have killed him, but he had pulled through. When she thought about it, it was probably thanks to the Kyuubi's fast healing that he even survived the implosion. It almost made her laugh thinking something so destructive could also be so helpful.

Then, someone entered the waiting room. Sakura looked up to see Sasuke come in with a vase of flowers.

Sakura stood up and went to Sasuke. She eyed the flowers. "What are those for?"

"They're for Naruto." Sasuke responded.

Sakura almost gawked at the Uchiha, but instead she said, "I didn't know you cared so much."

A slight blush appeared on Sasuke's face. "It was just what I thought I could do…seeing as I practically did nothing. How is he anyway?"

Sakura smiled. "He'll be okay. He's in a room recovering right now."

"Good…should we take these to him then?"

Sakura contemplated it for a moment, and then nodded her head. "I'm pretty sure we'll be allowed in."

The two then set off for Naruto's room. When they got there the room was empty except for a bandaged up Naruto lying asleep in bed.

Sasuke walked over to the window and set the vase on the dresser underneath it. He then turned and looked down at his friend. He was almost entirely covered in bandages; on his head, around his arms, and probably extending down to his chest and legs. He looked like a mess.

Across the room, Sakura took a chair and sat down next to Naruto's bed. Sasuke walked around the bed, grabbed his own chair, and followed Sakura's motions.

Silence fell as the two looked down at their teammate. When Sakura finally spoke, she sounded depressed. "I feel so bad about what happened to him."

Sasuke said nothing for a moment, and then, "Yeah…though it was my fault for sending him in there."

Sakura reached down and grasped Sasuke's hand. "Maybe, but I encouraged it. If I had just said we should continue playing fairly…then maybe…."

Sasuke squeezed Sakura's hand. "Don't try to blame it on yourself."

"But I just feel so guilty about it. If this only hadn't happened…then we could have all still been playing…we'd be down to the last few minutes of the game right now…."

"One of us could have accidentally gone in either way…I don't even know why the house suddenly imploded."

"It was a demolition site…it was how they took down the houses…. I guess they just hadn't taken down all the ones they thought they were going to…and then…" Sakura sighed. "We shouldn't have gone into there in the first place…it was a stupid idea."

"I know…" Sasuke murmured.

The two said nothing for several moments as they looked down at Naruto.

"Really, when it comes down to it…maybe it was all my fault for getting Naruto in this situation." Sasuke declared. "I made the plan, I went through with it, I lured him in there, and even after the house went down…I could do nothing to lessen the damage."

Sakura grasped Sasuke's hand with both of hers. "No, that's not right. You took Naruto over here."

"It's not like you couldn't have done it yourself…I shouldn't have even agreed to playing the game…I hadn't wanted to in the first place…"

Sakura's brow furrowed. "But then why did you come along?"

Sasuke smirked, but only slightly. "Because you wanted to play, of course…."

Sakura frowned. "Then…this is all my fault. I dragged you into it. I—"

"Will you two stop playing the blame game?"

Sasuke and Sakura were surprised by the voice. They both looked down to see Naruto staring up at them through half-opened eyes.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, glad to see him awake.

"It wasn't any of your faults…it was all me…." Naruto stated.

"I was the one who tricked you into it." Sasuke retorted.

"Yeah, maybe, but I activated the explosion with the switch." Naruto suddenly announced.

"The…switch?" Sakura echoed.

Naruto nodded, but then winced from a pain in his neck. "It was a cord laying at the front of the house. I picked it up not knowing what it was, and I followed it into the room with the explosives…I stumbled back from surprise and snapped the cord just in front of them…and so it went off. If I hadn't touched it we could have still been on our merry way. There's no 'if one of us had gone in eventually' about it…you guys would have recognized it and gotten out of there…. I was being…a Dobe."

Sasuke smirked at Naruto's self name calling. "We know you're a Dobe…but I was the idiot who sent you in there in the first place."

Naruto grinned. "You're not an idiot…you're a Teme! There's no stupidity in bad luck."

Sakura watched the two as they interacted, smiled, and stood up. She leaned over Naruto. "So how do you feel?"

"Does 'I feel like a house fell on me' count?" Naruto chuckled.

Sakura laughed. "I suppose. But does anything hurt right now that you'd like me to check?"

"Not really. I should be good as new by tomorrow!"

Sakura shook her head. "Knowing you it's possible, but try not to push yourself, okay?" She sat back down. "I'd hate for you to get hurt badly twice in a day on my watch."

"You mean not counting the physical harm you do to me on a regular basis?"

"Well…" Sakura stammered, knowing he was right considering her habits of hitting him when he did something stupid, "I mean…just try not to get yourself killed."

"Ha, I got it."

Sakura smiled at Naruto for a moment, stood up, and began to head for the door. She turned to look at them as she reached the door. "I'll be back in a little bit. I just need to let some people know you're awake now Naruto, and then I need to make a few preparations. You two just hang out…and try not to start arguing."

"Alright," the two boys answered simultaneously, and then Sakura left.

Neither one of them said anything for a bit, consenting to a little silence as they both stared at different things.

"So..." Sasuke drawled.

"So…" Naruto echoed. "Really, you guys don't have to blame yourselves for what happened to me. I should have been smarter…."

"Hn…I guess…. I'll take your word for it…."

"…"

"…"

"What did you hope to accomplish, anyway?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "We were thinking we could get away…and then just wait it out till sundown so you'd be the loser…."

"Tch, like you would have gotten away. I'd have found you guys eventually."

Sasuke smirked. "You think so? If I remember right, you usually had to catch Sakura because you could never find me."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I caught you three times!"

"Compared to the fact that I caught you about twenty times?"

"No need to exaggerate the facts, Teme."

"Actually, that wasn't an exaggeration."

"Just keep telling yourself that…."

It was silent again.

"What would you two have done anyway…? If you did get away?" Naruto questioned.

"Uh…" Sasuke stammered, contemplating on what he had thought the two of them could have done.

Naruto grinned knowingly. "Man, Sakura's had a hell of an effect on you! Your thinking must be on par with the Pervy Sage by now!"

A very slight blush crept up Sasuke's neck. "What are you talking about? You're just assuming things again."

"Oh…am I? You looked like you wanted to pull Sakura out of her dress when you guys were kissing during the party up north."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and he blushed. "You—?"

"Saw you guys? Heheh, yeah…I kinda did. That's why my message came in during your little moment. I gave you a bit of time, but Cat was starting to get away so I had to break you guys up."

Sasuke stared incredulously at the blond that laid in bed. Then he looked away, trying to contain his embarrassment.

Naruto laughed. "So tell me…that other moment I broke up by the rose garden…. I couldn't tell in the darkness…did ya kiss her?"

Sasuke bit his tongue to hold down the furious blush that tried to rise to his face. "What's it to you?"

"Just my proof that your attraction to Sakura has made you really horny!"

"I am not—" Sasuke bit back his retort, and glared at a wall. "Why do you care if I kissed her anyway? We're dating now. It's a part of the package."

"I know, but you kissed her twice _before_ you two got together!"

"Who cares?"

"I don't really care…but it's hilarious seeing you lose your cool like this." Naruto chuckled.

"You realize Sakura told us not to argue while she's gone?"

Naruto grinned. "It's not arguing, I'm just cleverly making you lose your calm persona."

Sasuke made no response. Naruto's chuckles slowly died out, and then he looked up at the ceiling.

"…Why did you do it?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto turned towards Sasuke with a confused expression. "Say what?"

Sasuke averted his eyes to the ground for a moment, but then looked back over at Naruto. "I always thought…that you liked Sakura. Why did you give her up?"

Naruto's look became somber, and he looked back up at the ceiling. "Because I knew…."

Sasuke's brows rose. "Knew what?"

Naruto sighed, and then looked back at Sasuke. "I already knew she was in love with you…and nothing was going to change that. I mean…when you first came back I could see she was confused about how she felt…but eventually she figured it out, and I knew she had chosen you." Naruto grinned. "And I could slowly see you starting to become attracted to her. I wasn't going to stand in the way of my two best friends getting together. You guys…you guys are seriously meant for each other. You care about each other."

Sasuke stared at Naruto for several moments after he finished speaking, but then he understood, and he smirked at Naruto. "Thank you."

"What?"

Sasuke looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Frankly…sometimes you can be the most annoying guy I think I'll ever know. But…sometimes you can also be one of the most understanding guys I'll probably ever know. And I guess I have to thank you for that…for understanding what we didn't…and giving things up to make us happy."

Naruto's cheeks brightened, not having expected such a compliment from the Uchiha, and then he smiled. "You're welcome. Heheh, but you know…it really wasn't that hard. Sakura feels more like a sister to me now that I've come to understand you two are supposed to be together."

Sasuke smirked. "I guess it was also easier considering you've found someone else to swoon over."

Naruto's whole faced lit up in a pink blush, and he quickly glared up at the ceiling. "I don't know what you're talking about, Teme."

Sasuke chuckled. "I know you do. And you know you don't have to worry…I'm pretty sure I know how she feels about you. You've just got to make a move."

Before Naruto could reply, the door opened and Sakura came in.

"Hey guys." Sakura greeted them as she entered.

"Hey," they both replied. Sakura came and stood in front of Naruto's bed.

"Well, I've gone ahead and gotten a nurse for you. If you need anything, just use the call button. She'll also come around periodically to change your bandages and see how you're progressing."

"Alrighty! So then what are you gonna do?"

Sakura smiled, and then looked over at Sasuke. "I was actually about to ask Sasuke if he wanted to go out for some dinner."

Sasuke smirked up at Sakura, and then stood up. "Sounds good to me."

Sakura beamed down at Naruto again as Sasuke took her hand. "Well then, I'll leave everything to the nurse and your fast healing. We'll see you later."

"See you guys! Oh, and Teme!" Sasuke glanced at Naruto. A sly grin found its way onto Naruto's face. "Remember what I told you!"

Sasuke clenched his teeth to keep from blushing or making a snide comment, and turned away just as the door opened in front of them. From the other side of the door, Hinata walked in, and froze in her tracks as she came face-to-face with Sasuke and Sakura.

"O-o-oh," Hinata stammered, and then bowed slightly, "h-hello Sakura…Sasuke."

"Hey, Hinata." Sakura greeted. "Paying Naruto a visit I see. Don't worry, we were just on our way out."

"Um…yeah. Uh…okay." Hinata stuttered, and then stepped to the side to let Sakura and Sasuke through.

Right before the two left though, Sasuke cast a look over his shoulder at Naruto. He smirked. "I remember…now you just have to remember what _I_ told _you_."

Naruto looked caught for a moment, but then smiled. "Got it, Teme!"

Sasuke and Sakura then left the hospital room. Sakura looked up at Sasuke as they walked down the halls. "Remember what? What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing." Sasuke responded, but then squeezed Sakura's hand as she got a pouty look on her face over not being told. "At least nothing you have to worry about. I'll probably tell you later."

Sakura smiled. "Okay. I'll count on that."

'"'"'"'"

Sasuke and Sakura went out to eat at a small restaurant.

Sakura prodded at a salad for a moment before she sighed. "Today went nothing like I thought it would…not at all…."

Sasuke looked up from his food to gaze at Sakura. He put down a fork and shot a sympathetic look at his girlfriend. "I know."

"I still wish there was more I could do."

"Sakura," Sasuke declared, making Sakura look up at him, "you saved his life. You worked for two and a half hours in the emergency room to make sure he pulled through. You've helped him as much as you could. You should feel happy. He's going to live because of you."

Sakura stared at Sasuke for a moment, and then smiled. "Yeah…I guess you're right…I should be happy. …Thanks."

Sasuke smirked. "It's no problem."

Sakura considered her meal for a couple moments. "So…"

Sasuke glanced up at Sakura. "So…what? Is there something else on your mind?"

"Well…I am still curious about what you and Naruto were 'remembering,' but…if you still don't want to tell me…"

Sasuke closed his eyes and continued to smirk. "We were just talking about things…."

"What kind of things?"

Sasuke chuckled once. "Let's just say we've come to a bit more of an understanding." Sasuke took a sip of his water. "And the Dobe may finally get some guts."

Sakura shot Sasuke a perplexed look, but, understanding she probably wasn't getting any more out of him, she returned her attention to her food. "Okay then…."

Their meal continued silently for a little while longer. Once they finished, they paid, and then left the restaurant.

Sasuke took Sakura's hand. "Come with me for a bit. I want to talk to you…in private."

Sakura stared up at Sasuke for a moment, and then consented to being taken down the road. They walked through the town for quite some time until finally coming to a stop at a secluded bench. Sasuke motioned for Sakura to sit down, and then followed her. The couple sat on the bench for several minutes in silence; their hands laced together and Sakura leaning against Sasuke's shoulder.

Finally, Sasuke spoke. "Do you know where we are?"

Sakura blinked, taking in her surroundings. After a moment, she knew, and a slight frown formed on her face. "We're at the bench…where you seemed to like me and then scolded me once, and left me another time…."

Sasuke frowned slightly as well. "I remember most of that…however…I don't have any memory of any kind of flirting…when was that?"

"Um…it was…when we were first assigned on the same team…it was the same day you scolded me."

"Right…and that was also the day Naruto transformed into me."

Sakura's jaw nearly dropped. "What? Transformed? When?"

"I'm thinking it was the time you thought I was flirting with you."

Sakura was silent for a minute. "Wait…but that would mean…" She blushed. "I almost kissed Naruto?"

Sasuke cringed at the thought slightly, but nodded his head. "Yeah…because back then he had a crush on you."

Sakura fell gravely silent, and then sighed. "I know…but…I guess he's gotten over it."

"He did…" Sasuke looked down at Sakura. "For us…at least."

Sakura was caught by this. "What? What do you mean?"

"That's what Naruto and I had been talking about." Sasuke clarified. "About how he used to like you…and about how he gave up because he knew how you felt about me, and apparently he was already starting to see how I was growing to feel about you."

Sakura was stunned. She didn't know what to say. She swallowed. "I had no idea…it must have been hard for him to have to accept it."

Sasuke smirked down at her. "Well, he said it wasn't too bad. He told me now it's easy to see you as more of a sister. Then I accused him of how it must be easier seeing as he has that thing for Hinata now."

Sakura giggled. "I guess. I wonder if he realizes she likes him back."

"That's what I was hinting to Naruto."

Sakura sighed and smiled. "Looks like he's found the girl for him."

"Yeah…and I found mine."

Sakura blushed, and then Sasuke started to lean down closer to her. But then she stood up, pulling Sasuke up with her by the arm.

"Where are you headed?" He asked, slightly despondent that Sakura didn't seem to want to kiss him.

Sakura faced him and grinned. "I want to go see Naruto."

"Why? I thought you said you were going to leave him to the nurse."

"I am. There's just something I want to say to him."

Sasuke stared at Sakura for a moment, sighed, and smirked. "Alright."

Sakura beamed at Sasuke, tip-toed up, and gently kissed him. She then proceeded to lead him down the road. "Let's hurry then. Visiting hours are almost over."

**Alrighty…cutting it off here! Man, this took **_**forever**_** to write! I didn't know if I was gonna get it done on time! But here I am…on the 4****th**** of July…writing. 6 days till I'll be posting this. Now I just have to finish up the last chapter. Ha…next chapter is the LAST! Oh my god! It's been such a long road! Today it's been exactly 6 months, half a year, since I first published this story! Wow! And now it's about to end! Sigh…well then, till the final chapter!  
And as a last note just before I publish this…you would have gotten it faster this morning, but for one: I had to proof it again because all week I never quite had the attention span to read the whole thing. And two: I was occupied for a bit because I woke up hearing there was a snake in our backyard…yeah, and I had to watch it till Animal Control came. At least it wasn't poisonous….  
Last note, seriously! Next week the last chapter will have a picture! So look out for the link at the bottom of the last chapter! Now I'm out! Till then! **


	32. Revelations

**Chapter Thirty-two- Revelations**

"So what exactly is it you want to say to Naruto?" Sasuke asked as he was led by Sakura down the halls of the hospital.

Sakura looked up at him with a smile. "You'll see. I think Naruto will be pleased."

"Is it anything that I should be concerned about?"

"No, I wouldn't think so. It's not like I have anything bad to say to him."

"If you said something bad to him I wouldn't really care."

"Right…seeing as you two live to insult each other. This will only take a moment." Sakura declared as the two reached the door to Naruto's room. She reached out and grasped the handle. She opened the door and walked in. "Hey, Naruto, how are—" Sakura froze.

Sasuke's brow rose when Sakura suddenly stopped in her tracks. He peered over her shoulder curiously, and immediately saw what had stopped her. Naruto and Hinata were in the room, but Hinata sat on the bed with Naruto, and though the two stared at Sasuke and Sakura in surprise now, it was obvious to tell from their arms around each other what the two had just been caught doing.

Sasuke was the first to recover from the surprise. He cleared his throat. "Well this is different."

Naruto blushed, and slowly started to let go of Hinata, who did the same.

"You don't understand. It's not what it loo—okay, it's exactly what it looks like…." Naruto announced as Hinata bashfully clambered off the hospital bed and took a couple steps away from the blond. Naruto grinned sheepishly. "I guess we're similar in that way, Teme. We both kissed the girl we like before we officially became a couple."

Sasuke smirked. "And so we did. So then what are you going to do about it now?"

Naruto thought for a moment, and then seemed to come to a conclusion. "Hey Hinata, can you come over here again, please." He called.

Hinata stared at the blond for a minute, and then took a step closer to the hospital bed. Naruto then reached out, grasped Hinata's wrist, pulled her down to his level, and kissed her right on the mouth. Sakura, Sasuke, and Hinata all looked stunned. When Naruto pulled away, a big grin was plastered to his face.

"Alright Teme! We're equal now! I kissed Hinata twice before we got together. So now…Hinata, you wanna be my girlfriend?"

Hinata still seemed to be in a state of shock, but she heard Naruto, and numbly nodded her head. Her whole face was completely red, and she looked right on the edge of passing out.

Naruto's grin widened. "Great!"

Sakura blinked at the sight before her, and then shook her head. "I really can't believe this…only Naruto."

Sasuke chuckled lowly and wrapped an arm around Sakura's waist. "Yeah…only Naruto. Is there something you still want to tell him?"

Sakura stared at the blushing couple before her, and shook her head. "Nah, I don't think so. At least not right now. Let's go ahead and get out of here…visiting hours are over."

'"'"'"'"

The next morning Sakura found herself in the hospital, doing routine things and working her average shift. The day so far had been uneventful.

Eventually, Sakura found her way to Naruto's hospital room. She stood in front of it for a moment, contemplating going in. Finally, she decided to check up on him, and walked in.

"Good morning, Naru…to?" Sakura stammered as her eyes fell on the empty hospital bed. "Naruto?" She called, glancing around as she walked further into the room. "Naruto? Am I in the right room…?"

Sakura looked around another moment, and just as she was about to leave, something grabbed her shoulders. Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise, but then her ninja reactions kicked in. She grabbed one of the arms of the assailant, and flipped him onto the bed.

"Oof! Ah, crap! Good thing I landed on the bed…." A familiar voice declared. Sakura blinked, and realized the assailant had been none other than Naruto.

"Naruto! You scared me!" Sakura chided.

"And you flipping me onto a bed didn't scare me? If I hit the floor I'd probably end up right back in here with a broken leg." He responded.

An embarrassed flush crept up on Sakura's cheeks as she helped Naruto off the bed. Once the two stood facing each other though, Sakura noticed something. "You're not wearing your bandages."

Naruto grinned. "Nope! I'm totally healed! I feel great!" He flexed his arms in emphasis of his recovered state.

"Did the nurse take them off?"

"No, I did. She hasn't been in yet."

"Then you can't be sure. What if you opened them back up with all that moving around you did?"

"You mean all the moving around you _made_ me do?" Naruto retorted. "If you wanna check you can go ahead. But I feel fine!"

Sakura stared skeptically at Naruto for a moment, but then consented to checking his injuries. He took off his shirt and let Sakura inspect the areas he had been injured.

Sakura smiled. "Well, looks like you really are doing better. An average person should have been in here at least another three days."

"Yeah, well I'm not much of an average person, huh?" Naruto laughed.

"In more ways than one." Someone suddenly declared.

Sakura turned towards the door with a joyful smile on her face. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke stood leaning against the doorframe. He smirked when Sakura addressed him, and then walked fully into the room. Sakura met him halfway there and the two kissed in a quick greeting.

"I didn't expect you to come by so early." Sakura stated as the two made their way over to Naruto who still sat on his bed.

"Did you come for me?" Naruto asked in a teasing voice. "I'm touched that you care so much, Teme."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the blond. "I could have just stayed home, but then you wouldn't have gotten this." Sasuke tossed something at Naruto.

Naruto caught it easily and inspected it. His whole face lit up in joy. "Instant ramen! Awesome! They never give me this stuff here in the hospital! You're a life saver, Sasuke! You're the nicest person ever!"

"Tch, don't get used to it." Sasuke grumbled, taking a seat in an available chair.

Naruto held the ramen cup out to Sakura. "Sakura…please…can you make it? I don't think I can wait much longer."

Sakura laughed lightly at Naruto's enthusiasm, and took the cup from him. "Sure. You two just hang out. I'll be right back."

'"'"'"'"

"So I can leave today?" Naruto asked happily.

"You seem to be in good health. I think you'll be fine." Sakura answered. "Though I think all the other doctors are going to be baffled as to how you recovered from what should have been a fatal accident in just a couple days."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "That's the Kyuubi for ya! He's a pain in the ass, but he's also helpful…just like the Teme!"

"Speak for yourself." Sasuke muttered.

"You guys…" Sakura huffed, knowing an argument was on the brink of breaking loose.

"Ah, whatever." Naruto exclaimed, taking a gulp of the ramen Sakura had cooked up for him. "I just can't wait to get out of here! You know…you guys really need to redecorate this place…all white! I feel so…pale…."

"It's just standard." Sakura responded.

"But why white? I mean…not even beige! Not even an eggshell white! Just…white."

"So do _you_ want to paint the entire hospital?"

"…No…but once I'm Hokage, I'm gonna make a law! No white walls allowed!"

"Good luck getting that law passed." Sasuke proclaimed.

"I bet there are loads of people out there who agree with me!" Naruto retorted.

"Right…" Sasuke drawled.

Suddenly, the door opened, and all three heads turned to see who had entered. The person at the door froze when they saw how many people were in the little room.

Naruto grinned. "Hinata! Come on in! Look at me! I'm all better!" He held up his arms to show his recovered state.

Hinata's face turned red and she had to avert her gaze. "I-I see, N-Naruto."

Naruto blinked. "What's wrong?"

Sakura sighed. "Naruto…you're shirtless."

Naruto looked down at his bare chest. "So?"

Sakura shook her head. "I think you're making Hinata uncomfortable."

Naruto blinked. "But…we're dating now…aren't we?"

Sakura put a hand to her forehead, disbelieving. Sasuke threw Naruto his forgotten shirt. "Just put it back on."

"Fine, fine." Naruto grumbled, but then smiled as Hinata fully came into the room. "There's no need to worry though, Hinata! If all goes well, and I think it will, in our relationship, you'll be used to it after we—"

"Naruto stop talking before you make her pass out." Sakura interjected quickly, casting an apologetic look at a red-faced Hinata.

"Still so sure you want to be involved with him?" Sasuke asked, glancing at Hinata.

"Sasuke, don't say that." Sakura chided. "I'm sure they'll be fine together." She stood up. "Come on, let's give them some time. Naruto, while I'd prefer if it didn't happen, if you make her pass out, press the button for the nurse…."

Naruto stared at Sakura, and then at Hinata. "You do seem to pass out a lot, Hinata…is it chronic or something?"

"If only you knew…." Sakura murmured low enough so Naruto didn't hear her, and then she proceeded to beckon Sasuke up and out of the room. "We'll see you guys later."

"Later!" Naruto called as Sakura shut the door behind them.

'"'"'"'"

"So now what are we supposed to do?" Sasuke asked as the two walked down the hall.

"Well, at the moment I don't have much work to do seeing as no one's really in need of immediate care." Sakura answered. "Um…we could…head to my office…if you want."

Sasuke seemed to contemplate her offer for a moment, and then nodded his head. "Sounds good."

The two made their way over to Sakura's office. When they entered, neither went for a chair. The couple stood leaning against Sakura's desk as they spoke.

"So is this where you go when you have nothing better to do?" Sasuke inquired.

"Nothing better to do, need some silence, do paperwork, really anything that doesn't require my medical abilities." Sakura explained.

"I see." Sasuke responded. He glanced around the office until his eyes landed on a picture on Sakura's desk. "Your parents?" He asked, even though he already recognized the two adults in the picture from multiple visits to Sakura's house.

Sakura glanced down at the picture as well and nodded. "Yeah…I know it seems kinda old having a picture of your parents in your work office, but I couldn't help it."

"I think it's understandable." Sasuke stated, taking a step closer to Sakura.

Sakura smiled at her boyfriend, and closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around him. Sasuke returned the gesture.

"After all," Sasuke declared, "you love them, don't you?"

Sakura leaned her head against Sasuke's chest, her eyes closed. "I do…."

The couple stood there like that for several silent moments, simply reveling in the other's company.

"And I love you." Sakura muttered, but then her eyes shot open and she recoiled back as she realized what she said.

Sasuke stared at the kunoichi as she unexpectedly writhed away from him. He reached out for her, but then pulled his hand back as he understood that something was troubling her. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Sakura shook her head. "Just forget I said anything."

Sasuke looked confused. "What? That you love me? What's wrong with that?" He questioned.

Sakura fidgeted with her hands and stared down at the ground. "Sorry…I just…it slipped out…."

Sasuke gazed at Sakura, and then leaned back against her desk. "And what's wrong with that? It's okay for you to love me."

"Because…I mean…I don't want you to…to feel pressured or anything…knowing how I feel. I…don't want you to say anything just because I did." Sakura met eyes with Sasuke. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I forced you to do anything like that…."

Sasuke stared at his girlfriend for several moments, completely silent. Finally, "Well, you shouldn't worry about pressuring me. Trust me, it doesn't. …Because I love you, too."

Sakura's eyes widened at Sasuke's statement. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't tear her gaze away from him. Sasuke caught the hint of guilty disbelief that flashed briefly through her eyes.

Sasuke walked towards Sakura as he spoke. He knew he had to convince her. "Why is it I find myself captured by your hair…your eyes…your face…your whole body? Why is it I find that I can't help wanting to beat the living daylights out of anyone that tries to hurt you? Why is that when we're separated, I find myself yearning to be where you are? Why is it that when it comes down to it…I'd gladly put my life on the line to save yours?" He came to stand in front of Sakura. "I used to ask myself these questions a lot…until one day the answer came to me. Why would I be feeling all these things for you…if the obvious answer wasn't that I was in love with you?"

Sakura gazed speechlessly into Sasuke's eyes, almost not believing what she was hearing. She clenched her teeth, trying to hold down the emotions she felt, and then she threw herself at him, embracing him tightly and burying her face in his chest. Sasuke's arms reactively came around her, returning her hug as he put his head on top of hers.

"I really do love you." He whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

His statement only made Sakura hold him tighter as she said, "I love you, too…I have since I was a little Genin on Team Seven…getting to know and understand the real you…."

Sasuke's eyes closed halfway after Sakura spoke, and then he abruptly pulled away from her. Sakura stared up at him, her eyes swimming with the feelings overcoming her. One of Sasuke's hands came up and touched Sakura's cheek. The two gazed into each other's eyes for what felt like hours.

And then from there it was just the two of them.

'"'"'"'"

"So I'll be by your place at six!" Naruto stated.

"O-o-okay…N-Naruto." Hinata stammered, a bright blush adorning her cheeks at the thought of the date Naruto had just asked her on.

Naruto looked around. "Let's see…oh, there's Sakura's office. Hope she's in there…it's like she and the Teme just disappeared."

The two reached the door to Sakura's office. Naruto reached down, grasped the handle, turned it, and opened the door. The first thing they noticed was how dark the office was. The second thing that greeted the new couple made them both freeze in their tracks and made Hinata's reddened face deepen about three shades.

It was Sasuke and Sakura. Sakura was seated on top of the desk in her office, holding Sasuke from around his neck with her arms and slightly his waist with her legs. Sasuke in turn had one hand on the desktop, supporting them from falling onto the desk, and the other was low down on Sakura's waist. The two were kissing very heatedly.

"Should have brought the camera…." Naruto murmured as Hinata swayed slightly in place, trying to refrain from passing out from shock.

Finally, Sasuke and Sakura seemed to become aware of the fact that they weren't alone anymore. They parted, and both their heads turned in time towards the door where they spotted the new arrivals who had walked in during their little session.

Sakura's face flared with an embarrassed blush as she scrambled to sit up straight and then get off the desk with what was left of her dignity.

"W-what are you guys doing here?" Sakura questioned, trying to regain a composed look while busily straightening out her slightly rumpled clothing.

"Looking for you guys." Naruto answered. His brows wiggled. "Didn't know you guys were…_busy_."

Sakura's blush returned, and she had to avert her gaze to the ground, unable to face anyone at the moment.

Sasuke stepped slightly in front of Sakura in a protective manner. "Well, you found us. Now what do you want?"

"Well, for one we were just wondering why you guys had disappeared." Naruto responded. "And also because we were gonna ask you guys to double date with us. Though…I'm not sure whether or not you guys have some…other plans already."

Sakura stared from Naruto to Hinata, and then she finally looked at Sasuke. Sasuke reached down and grasped Sakura's hand reassuringly. "Sure," Sakura declared, "we'll double with you guys."

Naruto grinned. "Okay! I was gonna pick Hinata up tonight at six! So we'll meet you guys at like…6:30 at Ichiraku!" Naruto began to exit the office. "Why don't you guys come by my place after you're finished with your _business_?"

Sakura opened her mouth to comment, but Naruto and Hinata were already gone. The couple stood there in silence for a moment longer before Sakura let out a deep sigh.

"Well…that was unexpected…I guess now we have something to do later tonight." Sakura huffed.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, and then he let go of Sakura's hand and walked towards the door. He stood in front of it for a moment, and then locked it. He turned back around and smirked at Sakura.

"Well, Naruto also gave us some time to finish our business." Sasuke proclaimed, walking back to Sakura.

Sakura gave Sasuke a knowing, lopsided smile, and wrapped her arms around him as he came to a stop right in front of her.

"Naruto sure can be kind sometimes." Sakura giggled.

"Tch, I think this is the first time he's ever even considered that I could be busy. He usually just makes me drop what I'm doing and do what he wants." Sasuke snorted, wrapping his own arms around Sakura.

"Well, maybe he felt a little indebted to you. After all, I guess we kinda did save his life."

"You say that like it's the first time. If he always let me do what I want after I saved his ass, he'd always be leaving me alone."

Sakura laughed and buried her head in Sasuke's chest. When she pulled away, Sasuke came down and kissed her.

Sasuke broke the kiss, and Sakura leaned up to kiss him again. As she pulled away, she muttered against his lips, "I love you."

Sasuke smirked into yet another kiss, and then touched his forehead to Sakura's. "Isn't this how our last little session started?"

Sakura smiled. "I think so."

Sasuke almost smiled as he stared into Sakura's eyes; Sakura blushed, seeing the softness in his own eyes as he said, "I love you, too. And I don't feel rushed to say that either. I know I love you. I can't even stand the thought of _considering_ thinking about you with another guy."

Sakura hummed contentedly. "I never quite imagined you with someone else as well…and now that we're together…I feel like everything's right."

"Me, too." Sasuke murmured as Sakura leaned up to kiss him. Sasuke's hand came up from her waist and pressed against Sakura's back, pulling her closer to him as they shared their kiss. They eventually parted, but didn't quite pull their lips away from each other. "We might be a little late for the double date."

Sakura sighed against Sasuke's lips. "Oh well, I think they'll understand."

'"'"'"'"

That night, a dream came to Sakura. She was standing in front of a house, which didn't look consciously familiar to her, but at the same time she felt like she knew it. She then turned around and stopped as her eyes landed on the backs of two very familiar looking people.

It looked like her and Sasuke when they were little kids, but Sakura seemed to be taller than Sasuke, which was strange as she never recalled a time where she had been taller than him.

Then, her mouth opened and from it she called out two names that weren't their own. Though the two children visibly perked up at the call, and they both turned to face her with smiles on their faces. They ran up to her, and that's when Sakura realized something: the girl who looked like her had black eyes, and the boy who looked like Sasuke had green ones.

When the two reached her she somewhat reactively kneeled down to their level as they both grabbed onto her arms and started wordlessly talking excitedly. Then, they stopped momentarily, detached themselves from Sakura, and ran behind her. Sakura turned around as the two children reached someone who stood on the porch of the house. It was Sasuke, kneeling down like she did to greet the two children. A smile found its way onto Sakura's face as she realized what her dream was showing her.

Back with Sakura's physical body, the same smile appeared on her face as she snuggled farther into her pillow.

"Sasuke…" she muttered in her sleep. "Welcome home…."

**THE END**

**And we are DONE! This is the END of "The Turning Leaf"! Story completed! But don't start crying just yet! I know exactly what a bunch of you are about to say, "More! More! More! Make a sequel! Pleeease Okami-chan! Pleeease!" I'm already one step ahead of you…I'm already writing it! It's "After the Rain"! And it's coming…eventually. I had to get rid of the preview I had down here because in a twist of events I had to junk the first part of my story, thusly junking the preview. It will still follow the same line though. Rest assured. But for now...await the sequel! (And enjoy my little stats bar that I wrote up.) Bye-bye!  
**

**Oh, and here's the link to the picture!: http: / / lady-okami-chan. deviantart. com / # / d2u7dua**

'"'"'"'"

**Stats of "The Turning Leaf" (Since July 17, 2010)****  
Published: January 4, 2010  
Updated: July 17, 2010  
Chapters: 32  
Words: 109,000+  
Reviews: 383  
Favorites: 93  
Story Alerts: 111  
C2s: 2  
Hits: 27,254  
****Okami-chan's notebook stats (where I jot down ideas or write tidbits of chapters)  
****Note pages taken: 33  
Chapter writing pages taken: 27 **


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